The U.S. State Department said that a bill being pushed by Republican Senator Ted Cruz to slap sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline would undermine the united front in response to Russia, spokesperson Ned Price said on Thursday, Reuters reports.
State Department spokesman Ned Price expressed the opinion that the imposition of sanctions against Nord Stream 2 could negatively affect the readiness of European countries to protect Ukraine from Russian aggression.
"Our concern is that, if passed, the legislation would only serve to undermine unity amongst our European allies at a crucial moment when we need to present a unified front in response to Russian threats against Ukraine," Price told the reporters.
Cruz struck a deal with Democrats last month to get a vote before Jan. 14 on the Russia-to-Germany natural gas pipeline in exchange for lifting his hold on dozens of Democratic President Joe Biden's ambassador nominations. Under the deal, Cruz's bill, which would impose measures on the pipeline under previous mandates, would need 60 votes to pass, a hurdle in the 50-50 Senate, where bipartisanship is scarce.
It's worth noting that starting Monday, U.S. officials are joining three sets of talks involving Russia as Washington tries to dissuade Moscow from invading Ukraine after massing tens of thousands of troops along its border.