OREANDA-NEWS. New US sanctions on Nord Stream 2 are being introduced to create the appearance of active actions, the announced restrictions do not pose a real threat to the project. This opinion on Tuesday, November 22, in an interview with Izvestia, was expressed by an independent energy expert Valdis Plyavins.

“The sanctions announced the day before against the company that laid the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, as well as against two Marlin vessels and an unnamed vessel, can be perceived more as a“ semblance of active actions ”aimed at combating the gas pipeline, rather than as a real threat to the project. Due to the fact that the gas pipeline has already been completed and is awaiting certification, the sanctions against the company that worked during its laying will not affect its fate in any way, ”he stressed.

At the same time, the specialist did not rule out the introduction of additional sanctions in relation to the project. Plavins pointed out that the United States had proposed adding to the defense budget the costs of sanctions against SP-2. As the expert is convinced, if this program is approved, the subsequent packages of sanctions may turn out to be much more serious.

The ineffectiveness of the announced sanctions was also stated by Pavel Sigal, First Vice President of Opora Rossii.

“These are not new sanctions, but a kind of semblance of stormy activity on the part of the State Department. It's just that the next deadline has come when the State Department should report to Congress on actions regarding Nord Stream 2, ”he said.

According to the specialist, the timing of certification of the gas pipeline and subsequent commissioning is of much greater importance for the project. However, the commissioning of the SP-2 has been postponed again, now until the spring of 2022, Sigal added.

On November 22, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced the country's intention to impose sanctions on two ships and one Russian-related company involved in the gas pipeline project.