The US Department of State is not proposing new sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in a report for Congress, Bloomberg reported on Friday.

The report mentions the pipe-laying vessel of Fortuna and its owner KVT-RUS, but both are already targeted with the US restrictions, the Bloomberg news agency reported. The report is also not envisaging any sanctions against German and other EU companies involved in the project.

The Nord Stream 2 project entails the building of a 745-mile-long twin pipeline that will carry up to 2 trillion cubic feet of gas per year from Russia to Germany, passing through the territorial waters or exclusive economic zones of Russia, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Germany.

© Photo : Nord Stream 2

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Washington has strongly opposed the project, as it seeks to export more liquefied natural gas to Europe. The pipeline building was suspended a year ago after the US-imposed sanctions led to the withdrawal of Swiss pipe-laying company Allseas from the project. However, the construction resumed in December 2020 and is expected to be completed soon.

The calls for additional sanctions against Moscow came after the arrest of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny over a financial misdemeanor. In particular, Washington found it a sufficient ground to sanction ship Fortuna, which was laying Nord Stream 2 pipeline, while the European Parliament issued a resolution calling for the Nord Stream 2 suspension in late January.

The minister stressed that it was not an option for Germany to immediately abandon gas, nuclear power, and coal, adding that the country will need gas for the upcoming years.

“We also run the risk of ending up in international arbitration with compensation claims if we stop the project”, Schulze said.

Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Russian energy company Gazprom and five European partners, aimed at the construction of a twin pipeline to deliver Russian gas to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea. The project is largely criticized by Washington, which calls it a threat to the energy security of Europe and Ukraine in a bid to promote its own more expensive LNG instead.

© Sputnik / Dmitry Lelchuk

Pipe-laying vessel Fortuna in the port of the German city of Wismar. Gazprom plans to resume the construction of Nord Stream 2 in Danish waters

In this regard, the pipeline is a target of US sanctions , which already prompted several companies to quit the construction.

The United States will impose more sanctions against Nord Stream 2 if it is determined that construction activity “meets the threshold for sanctions”, State Department spokesman Ned Price has indicated.

“The president of the United States, Secretary Blinken, others in this government have made this administration’s view unavowedly –unambiguously clear that Nord Stream 2 is a bad idea. It goes against Europe’s own stated energy interests. It goes against our interests in the region as well,” Price said , speaking at a press briefing on Thursday.

Pointing to congressionally mandated guidelines requiring the president to keep Congress apprised of Nord Stream 2-related developments every 90 days, the spokesman explained that “during that 90-day period, we will continue to evaluate the pipe-laying activity that is ongoing in the region.”

“If this activity meets the threshold for sanctions, I have no doubt – you should have no doubt –that this administration will follow the law. And if the law states that entities should be sanctioned for their pipe-laying activity, I suspect you’ll be hearing more about that from us,” Price promised.

In January, the Biden administration slapped sanctions against the Russian-flagged Fortuna pipelayer and its owners over its involvement in Nord Stream 2’s construction. It’s unclear whether the restrictions have had any impact whatsoever on the vessel, given that it is continuing construction in Denmark’s exclusive economic zone.

On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told lawmakers that the White House would “look at very carefully” whether Nord Stream 2 AG – Nord Stream 2’s operator, was engaging in any “sanctionable activity”. Blinken added that the US was looking at other possible sanctions targets, with that process underway since February.

© REUTERS / ANTON VAGANOV

House Republicans Urge Blinken to Slap More ‘Mandatory’ Sanctions on Nord Stream 2

Earlier this month, House and Senate Republicans sent the White House letters demanding new sanctions against the energy project, with senators temporarily blocking the confirmation of Biden’s CIA chief and claiming that allowing the project to be completed would enable Russian President Vladimir Putin to “gain a stranglehold over Europe’s gas supplies”. House lawmakers, meanwhile, allege that the Biden team’s “strong statements in opposition to the pipeline are not being matched by equally strong actions”.

Previously introduced sanctions have prompted several companies – most notably Switzerland-based contractor AllSeas, to pull out of Nord Stream 2. Other firms, including insurers and certification providers, have also halted their involvement amid fears of retribution from Washington. The project’s major sponsors, including Gazprom and five Western European energy companies, have stood by their commitments, and Moscow has indicated that the companies which have dropped out can be replaced with Russian analogues apparently unmoved by the prospect of US sanctions threats.

Officials from Russia and Germany (Nord Stream 2’s main Central European benefactor) have blasted the restrictions, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggesting that sanctions not only violate international law, but are a case of “unfair competition” and an attempt to bully Europe into buying more expensive US gas. Berlin, meanwhile, has repeatedly rejected the prospect of new extraterritorial sanctions against the project based on US laws, with some lawmakers in the Bundestag suggesting that Germany needs to draw up potential counter-sanctions in the face of US restrictions.

Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture between Russia’s Gazprom, Germany’s Uniper and Wintershall, France’s ENGIE, Austria’s OMV, and the UK-Dutch conglomerate Royal Dutch Shell. Once finished, the pipeline network will be able to carry up to 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Russia to Germany, with the system also capable of carrying clean hydrogen. According to former German-chancellor-turned Nord Stream 2 AG chairman Gerhard Schroeder, the pipeline network will help assure German energy security for “generations” to come.

The project is over 95 percent complete, and construction is expected to wrap up sometime before the end of the year.

Manchester City and USMNT goalkeeper Zack Steffen is pushing forward on multiple fronts when it comes to the battle against racism.

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Busy on the pitch, Steffen has made his Manchester City debut in the Premier League, his Champions League debut and has played a key role in City reaching both the League Cup final and the FA Cup semifinals this season.

We will be releasing different segments of ProSoccerTalk’s exclusive interview with Manchester City and USMNT goalkeeper Zack Steffen in the days ahead, as he discusses his anti-racism project, life in Manchester, what he gets up to off the pitch and much more.

Off the pitch, Steffen, 25, set up his own foundation, VOYCENOW , in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd and has also joined the anti-racism campaign set up by Common Goal as he continues to do all he can in the Black Lives Matter Movement.

Recently we caught up with Zack Steffen to ask about his foundation, being involved in anti-racism projects, his views on the current situation and what the next step is for eradicating racism.

Explaining the work Steffen’s foundation, VoyceNow, and Common Goal is doing

“My foundation VoyceNow, we just want to help give back to the less fortunate communities around America,” Steffen said. “It is about bringing together all of the connects I’ve come across during my days of playing and right now we have a community of about 150 athletes that are really dedicated in giving back to their community.

“We are in touch with them, the Boys and Girls Clubs of America to disperse the funds to their kids to give them educational resources for virtual schooling right now, because they are struggling with COVID. Going forward we will set up camps and mentorships with kids and the athletes, it is just about giving back to the communities that need help.”

“And with Common Goal I am very excited to get involved with this educational resource. We are going to get education out to the staffs in U.S. Soccer, the players, the fans and the parents, so we can understand what racism is, how we can fight it, how we can get rid of it and that is our goal, to end racism in U.S. Soccer.”

Being ‘actionable’ the key as Steffen explains different types of racism

Steffen acknowledges that education is key to hopes of eradicating racism, but he also believes that now is the time to take action and do something, anything, to help in the battle.

“It is about being actionable,” Steffen explained. “I am really excited to go out there and have people be able to do something and work towards what we are all talking about. I’m excited for this [Common Goal] and really intrigued to see how the players, coaches, parents react and how it helps.”

Being based in England and Germany (with Manchester City and while on loan at Fortuna Dusseldorf last season) during the Black Lives Matter Movement, Steffen revealed his experiences overseas have given him a different perspective on racism.

“It has been a little tough because obviously I would like to be back in America and be more active in my community and that is why I created VoyceNow, so that I can have a voice and a platform other than soccer that I can focus on in the States,” Steffen said.

“I appreciate that I am able to see another country and another culture. Social media hate and comments are bigger over here than they are in America, at least when it comes to MLS,” Steffen explained. “But I would say police brutality might not be as big over here and suppression isn’t as big over here. That is more focused in America. Racism is everywhere but it is about which avenue it is going through in each country and that is really what I’m seeing right now.”

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USMNT starting goalkeeper Zack Steffen has had quite a first season at Manchester City in the Premier League.

[ MORE: How to watch PL in the USA ]

Premier League debut? Check. Champions League debut? Check. Making big saves in a Manchester derby win at Old Trafford to reach a major cup final? Check.

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The Pennsylvania native, 25, is only just getting started too, as he trains with Ederson every day and his loan move to Fortuna Dusseldorf last season saw him impress further at club level.

We will be releasing different segments of ProSoccerTalk’s exclusive interview with Manchester City and USMNT goalkeeper Zack Steffen in the days ahead, as he discusses his anti-racism project, Voyce Now , life in Manchester, what he gets up to off the pitch and much more.

And after captaining the USMNT during the November international break, he is now focused on kicking on for his country who face Jamaica and Northern Ireland in friendly games in March.

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Steffen spoke exclusively to ProSoccerTalk from Manchester, and here is what he said when asked about the expectations for the USMNT in 2021 as the Gold Cup, Nations League and World Cup qualifiers take center stage.

“We are very young, very motivated and very hungry but we are also very inexperienced when it comes to the international game, because we are so young,” Zack Steffen said. “I think it is really good that a lot of us are coming over to Europe to these good leagues and good teams and that we are going to get better and get stronger.

“I’m confident in our group and our talents but it is really about coming together and putting it all together. That is the hardest part and we don’t have a lot of time together, we’ve had some camps canceled and games canceled, but now it is about getting together and really buying in, each training and each game so we can really become a family as soon as possible.”

USMNT ready to take next step

What has changed with the USMNT over the last 18-24 months since Gregg Berhalter, Steffen’s former coach with the Columbus Crew, took charge?

“Gregg and his staff have done a good job of bringing in a good culture to the group,” Steffen said. “A winning mentality, a brotherhood and a place where we are really just a family where we are all bought in and on the same page. We’ve got to keep coming into camp and putting in the work and effort to grow as a team and as an individual, and then take the games one game at a time.

“Our goal is to obviously win all of them, but nothing is perfect and there will be a few hiccups and bumps along the road but we’ve got to stick together and learn from this mistakes and those experiences.”

Steffen told ProSoccerTalk that Tyler Adams, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tim Weah are some of his best friends on the USMNT and that core group will lead this new era as expectation levels continue to rise with Sergino Dest, Gio Reyna, Yunus Musah and others breaking through in Europe.

‘Soul searcher’ Berhalter is the right man for the job

Steffen also revealed a little more about Berhalter’s character, as he said he is very clear with his message on and off the training pitch and is working hard to make sure all of the different squads (European and U.S. based) understand exactly what he wants.

Number one: Berhalter ‘really cares’ about his young players, said Steffen.

“I really enjoy playing for him. He is really calm but at the same time he can be really intense and he will just stare into your eyes like he is going to take your soul,” Steffen smiled. “He’s good for us.”

There will be a lot of eyes staring intently at the USMNT this month, and in the years ahead, as Steffen and his young teammates continue to usher in a new era for the USA.

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