https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/nord-stream-2-pipeline-risk-after-fresh-trump-admin-sanctions-gazprom-admits
Hillary Clinton created the lie, with no evidence, that candidate Donald Trump was colluding with Russia in 2016. I called out her obvious lie in Fall 2016, on my politics blog www.ElectionCircus.blogspot.com -- Donald Trump never colluded with anyone in his life -- he is a "one man band". Many in the mass media have never corrected their false claims.
As if to disprove Hillary, as president, Donald Trump had a harsh policy toward Russia, starting with selling Ukraine powerful weapons to defend against Russia, that Obama had refused to sell them. And then there was Trump's battle to prevent the Russian energy company Gazprom from building an underwater natural gas pipeline to Germany. I don't agree with his position on that pipeline -- who are we to tell Germany/Europe they can't buy more natural gas from Russia?
"Coming on Trump's last full day in office, the US has slapped yet more sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 Russia to Germany natural gas pipeline ... to prevent its completion, specifically targeting a ship in involved in its final leg of construction.
The Russian pipe-laying ship "Fortuna" and its owner will be subject to new sanctions ... under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
... the oil tanker Maksim Gorky and two Russian firms, KVT-Rus and Rustanker, were (also) blacklisted.
... The new measures come as Gazprom has estimated that only 6% of the pipeline remains till completion.
This is equal to about 150km, which Russia has vowed to see through to finish.
While prior US sanctions have been shrugged off, though sometimes with temporary stoppages, Gazprom and Russian officials are now sounding the alarm over the growing "risk" the project could be suspended altogether if more Washington sanctions are piled on.
Russian state gas company Gazprom acknowledged there is a risk that its undersea pipeline to Germany could be suspended or cancelled after the United States on Tuesday slapped sanctions on a Russian ship involved in its construction.
Germany’s Economy Ministry said ... "We take note of this announcement with regret," ...
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline would increase Europe’s dependence on Russian gas and Russia's leverage over Central Europe.
While underscoring the state-owned company plans to finish, a fresh memorandum by Gazprom issued to investors noted that these latest sanctions could make "the implementation of the project impossible or unfeasible and lead to its suspension or cancellation," according to TASS.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov separately on Tuesday slammed the "crude and illegitimate US pressure" in the form of 11th hour Trump administration sanctions."