US threatens sanctions over Russia-Germany gas pipeline

FRANKFURT AM MAIN: The US ambassador to Germany has warned of sanctions against firms linked to the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia, the American embassy in Berlin confirmed Sunday. A letter envoy Richard Grenell sent to several businesses “reminds that any company operating in the Russian energy export pipeline sector... is in danger under CAATSA of US sanctions,” an embassy spokesman told AFP. The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) adopted in 2017 targets Iran, Russia and North Korea. The letter by Grenell, a close ally of President Donald Trump, “is not meant to be a threat, but a clear message of US policy,” the spokesman said. “The only thing that could be considered blackmail in this situation would be the Kremlin having leverage over future gas supplies,” he said. Construction has already begun on Nord Stream 2, set to double the capacity of an existing pipeline across the Baltic Sea. Alongside Russian giant Gazprom, firms including Germany’s Wintershall and Uniper, Dutch-British Shell, France’s Engie and Austria’s OMV are involved in the project.