According to recently leaked information from the German embassy in Washington D.C., Berlin is trying to influence the vote of the US Congress on the annual “National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA)”. 

The NDAA bill for the 2022 fiscal year includes provisions regarding sanctions against Moscow, including those that directly target the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline connecting Russia and Germany through the Baltic Sea. 

The bill also includes provisions for sanctions against Russia in connection with Moscow’s ongoing aggression on Ukraine since the annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas since 2014. 

Among the steps foreseen by the NDAA in order to apply pressure on Russia is the introduction of further economic sanctions. The bill specifically lists the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which has been completed and is now awaiting the regulator’s authorisation.

According to the leaked document, German diplomats have been trying to convince Members of Congress not to introduce the sanctions. The argument being used is that potential sanctions could impact Ukraine rather than do it any help. 

German diplomats call for alternative ways of applying pressure on Russia. However, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, whose country is directly threatened by Russian aggression, has expressed his approval of the steps taken by the US legislators which, in his opinion, could dissuade the Kremlin from escalating the conflict with Ukraine.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline has sparked a number of controversies since it was first planned a decade ago. Most countries from Central and Eastern Europe including the Visegrad Group countries Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and of course Ukraine have repeatedly warned against what they perceive as a dangerous step that could lead to energetical blackmail from Russia towards the EU. 

Author: Sébastien Meuwissen