U.S. President Donald Trump has vetoed a defense bill that would provide military assistance to Ukraine and level new sanctions against Nord Stream 2.
The $740-billion defense spending legislation recently passed Congress by a veto-proof majority, creating the possibility that the House of Representatives and the Senate will override the veto next week.
Trump has attacked the bill for months, calling it “unconstitutional” because it would strip Confederate leaders’ names from American military bases.
Also, contrary to Trump’s demands, the bill would not repeal a law that shields internet companies from liability for what users and third parties post on their websites. Trump wants to muzzle social media companies, which he claimed are biased against him.
The president also claimed that the bill restricts the president’s ability to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Germany and South Korea.
He claimed without explanation that the legislation is a “gift” to China and Russia.
Yet far from being a gift to Russia, the legislation includes new sanctions that would complicate Russia’s attempts to finish its Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany. Only 160 km of pipeline remain to be completed in Danish waters.
Expanding on last year’s sanctions, the new sanctions target any companies and individuals that help the project by upgrading ships, certifying equipment or providing insurance.
This is meant to prevent Russia from upgrading Gazprom’s vessel, the Akademic Cherskiy, to be able to lay pipes along the seafloor and from receiving the necessary insurance and certifications.
According to Nord Stream 2, the sanctions would hit about 120 companies from more than 12 European countries.
The bill also allocates $250 million in military aid to Ukraine.
The defense bill had broad bipartisan support in Congress. The Senate approved it by 84-13 and the House passed it by 335-78, meaning both chambers have more than the two-thirds majority required to override the veto.
According to the Associated Press, the House is poised to return Monday and the Senate on Tuesday to consider an override vote.
