U.S. WAIVES SANCTIONS ON NORD STREAM 2, ITS CHIEF EXECUTIVE

The United States is waiving sanctions on the company overseeing construction of the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Christian Thiele, Michael Fischer and Helen Corbett reported for Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa).

The State Department sent a report to Congress on Wednesday stating that punitive measures against Nord Stream 2 AG and its German chief executive Matthias Warnig will be waived for "national interest" reasons, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

While the company in charge of the pipeline won't be sanctioned, other entities involved are subject to punitive measures.

Washington's opposition to the pipeline is "unwavering" and the US will continue to oppose the completion of the project, Blinken said in a statement.

"Today’s actions demonstrate the Administration’s commitment to energy security in Europe, consistent with the President’s pledge to rebuild relationships with our allies and partners in Europe," Blinken said.

The undersea pipeline connecting Russia and Germany has for years come under fierce criticism from Washington and some Eastern European countries, which believe it will make Europe more dependent on Russian energy supplies.

The German government has refused to halt the project, however, arguing that it is a commercial venture. Germany and Russia had earlier reacted positively to reports that a waiver was coming.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called the move "a constructive step that we look forward to discussing further with our partners in Washington."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said a waiver would signal "a touch of normalcy in US policy is emerging," according to the Interfax agency.

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