WASHINGTON, Jan 27The US administration intends to prevent the commissioning of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the event of a further escalation of the crisis over Ukraine, State Department spokesman Ned Price said on National Public Radio on Wednesday. to Ukraine, the implementation of Nord Stream 2 will not budge. We want to make this as clear as possible,» Price said. A State Department spokesman noted that the pipeline has not yet been launched, which gives the US administration leverage against Russia. «This is a pressure tool for us, for Germany, for the transatlantic community, because gas does not go through the pipeline. This is not a pressure tool for (Russian President) Vladimir Putin — and this should be clear,» Price said. Russia has repeatedly denied the accusations the West and Ukraine in «aggressive actions», stating that they are not threatening anyone and are not going to attack anyone, and statements about «Russian aggression» are used as an excuse to place more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry noted earlier that Western statements about «Russian aggression» and the possibility of helping Kiev defend itself against it are both ridiculous and dangerous. At the same time, Kiev and Western states have recently expressed concern about the alleged increase in «aggressive actions» by Russia near the borders of Ukraine. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is moving troops within its territory and at its own discretion. According to him, this does not threaten anyone and should not bother anyone.The Austrian chancellor opposed the sanctions on Nord Stream 2 Nord Stream 2 is a new export gas pipeline with a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year from Russia to Europe. The project is being implemented by Nord Stream 2 AG with Gazprom as its sole shareholder. The construction of Nord Stream 2 lasted three years and was completed in September 2021. Now both lines of the pipeline are filled with technical gas, it is ready for commissioning. However, Germany has suspended the process of certifying Nord Stream 2 AG as an operator in order for the company to reorganize in accordance with the laws of the country. Now the subsidiary Gas for Europe GmbH needs to submit a new application for certification. In mid-December, the head of the regulator — the German Federal Network Agency (BNA) — Jochen Hohmann said that he expects a decision on Nord Stream 2 no earlier than the beginning of the second half of 2022. 
The United States announced its readiness to impose large-scale sanctions against Russia
