Warsaw Says Painful To Hear US Plans To Waive Sanctions Against Nord Stream 2

WARSAW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th May, 2021) Washington's decision to abandon sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project was taken "with pain" in Warsaw,� Radoslaw Fogiel, spokesman of Poland's ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), said on Wednesday.

Last week, the US administration announced that it would lift sanctions on Swiss-based Nord Stream 2 AG, the Russian-led project's operator, and its chief executive Matthias Warnig, explaining the move was in Washington's national interest. The White House press pool on Tuesday cited President Joe Biden as saying that US sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG would be counterproductive for European relations. However, a new set of restrictions was imposed on the operator and its senior leadership following the waiver announcement.

"We take the decisions of the US president regarding Nord Stream 2 with pain because we believe that maintaining sanctions would be appropriate here," Fogiel told the Polskie Radio broadcaster.

The official reaffirmed Warsaw's opposition to the project, saying that "the construction of the gas pipeline is giving to Russian weapons � gas, energy weapons � which would be used in political issues as already happened before."

The Russian-led gas project, which is currently over 90-percent complete, aims at laying a 745-mile twin pipeline to transport gas from Russia directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea, passing through the territorial waters of Denmark, Finland and Sweden.

The US is a vocal opponent to the project, as well as Berlin's alleged dependence on Russian natural resources, as it seeks to export more liquefied natural gas to Europe. In 2019, Washington imposed sanctions on the project, forcing Swiss company Allseas to abandon it. After a year-long hiatus, the construction was resumed by Russian pipe-laying vessel Fortuna late last year.