On Tuesday, U.S. President Joe Biden said he decided to waive sanctions against the company behind the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline because the project was nearly complete, and doing so could have harmed ties with Europe, Reuters reports.
According to Biden, he was against the construction of Nord Stream 2 when the project was launched but held off on sanctions because it was "almost completely finished" by the time he took office in January.
Asked why he was letting Germany and Russia complete the project, Biden said, "Because it’s almost completely finished, number one … and it’s not like I can allow Germany to do something or not ... To go ahead and impose sanctions now would, I think, be counter-productive in terms of our European relations."
According to the U.S. President, Germany is aware of America’s position on the Nord Stream 2 constriction.
"They know how strongly I feel and I hope we can work on how they handle it from this point on," he said as he left Washington for a quick trip to Delaware.
On Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she expects further discussions with the United States on the Nord Stream 2 project after the sanctions waiver.
It is important for the U.S. to uphold the ties with its strongest European allies.