The U.S. Senate approved a defense budget law on Dec. 17 which contains provisions for sanctions on the construction of Russian natural gas pipelines to Europe, Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream.
The bill was supported by a significant majority with 86 votes in favor and eight senators in opposition. It’s part of a 2020 defense policy bill that includes $738 billion in spending and is likely to be signed by U.S. President Donald J. Trump.
According to the law, sanctions would be imposed on companies involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream pipelines.
Sanctions would also apply if companies changed their name or were replaced by others, the bill clarifies.
In addition, sanctions would also be imposed on shipping companies that lay pipeline for the project, and on firms or individuals that sold, leased or rented any vessels used on the pipeline project.
The construction of Nord Stream 2, which bypasses Ukraine to deliver gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea, is estimated to cost $10.6 billion. It is 80% completed and would carry up to 55 billion cubic meters of gas each year, bringing combined capacity to 110 billion cubic meters when paired with the existing line.
Earlier this week, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Armed Services Committee of the U.S. Senate approved a new national defense bill that includes sanctions for companies involved in the construction of Nord Stream 2 and Turk Stream, another Russian pipeline to Turkey.
Currently, Russia transports gas to Europe through Ukraine’s network of pipelines. Nord Stream 2, which bypasses Ukraine, would deprive the country of roughly $3 billion of critically needed transit fees if Moscow no longer uses them. Both nations are in talks to replace a 10-year supply and transit agreement that expires at the end of December.
Kyiv Post staff writer Bermet Talant contributed to this story
