US Urges Germany to Consider Sanctioning Russia over Gas Supplies

According to the United States Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs Amos Hochstein, Germany should consider putting sanctions on Russia for using gas as a weapon against Europe, Sputnik reported.

"I think we are getting close to that line," Hochstein said in answer to a journalist's query about whether Russia is using energy as a weapon against Europe and whether Germany should respond with sanctions.

"If Russia indeed has gas to supply and it chooses not to and will only do so if Europe exceeds to other demands that are completely unrelated, then it is hard to make the argument that it is not."

Hochstein encouraged Germany to pay close attention to Russia's energy situation, accusing Moscow of politicizing the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

"The United States did not change the view that this was a pipeline that probably should never be built and it was not commercially driven, but rather political," he said.

On September 10, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was finished, consisting of two tubes with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic metres per year. It transports Russian gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea. The process of certifying Nord Stream 2 AG as the pipeline's independent operator is presently underway to guarantee that the project meets the requirements of the EU Gas Directive, which came into effect on February 12th.

There will be two phases to certification. The German regulator will prepare a draught decision first, after receiving the full package of documents required for certification in September, and then the European Commission will provide an assessment.