Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment, & Cyber, joined 21 committee Republicans in sending a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expressing concern over the Biden administration’s decision to apply a U.S. national interest waiver to forego the imposition of mandatory sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG, its CEO, Matthias Warnig, and its corporate officers for their involvement in the Russian malign influence Nord Stream 2 pipeline project.
“If, as you asserted during your confirmation hearing, you are serious about doing everything possible to stop the completion of Nord Stream 2, then we urge you to do just that. We request that you immediately remove these ill-conceived U.S. national interest waivers and use the mandatory authorities Congress passed to target the insurance and certification companies participating in the project,” the lawmakers wrote. “Your tough and unambiguous public statements need to be matched by tough and unambiguous action. The longer you wait, the more you will strengthen Putin’s malign influence throughout Europe.”
