There’s a lot of things that Congress has problems getting done, but imposing sanctions is not one of them. So, it came as a disappointment when the State Department, in its required report to Congress, failed to provide any new targets to penalize for their involvement in Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Europe.
Eyebrows were raised when the only targets provided in the report had been targeted and sanctioned previously — the Russian pipe-laying ship “Fortuna” and its owner, KVT-RUS. Otherwise, eighteen other firms (largely insurance firms) were included, but they were do-overs, and they have already decided to leave the project. Since construction restarted on February 6 on the 90-95% completed project, Congress has been itching to intervene again, and they didn’t get the report that they wanted. There is anxiety that the last 100 miles or so will be completed and natural gas will flow from Russia to Europe. Some speculation has it that Biden’s administration is bending to pressure from Germany to allow the pipeline to be finished, regardless of the administration’s public comments against the pipeline. Regardless, the gas is needed, and it is notable when a modicum of sanity sneaks into international relations.
