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US Congress Approves Russia-Europe Gas Pipeline Sanctions

Agence France-Presse

   WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to slap sanctions on
   companies working on Russia's Nord Stream pipeline, sending a bill to
   President Donald Trump that is sure to antagonize European nations
   counting on the project's natural gas.

   The measure, inserted into a huge annual defense spending bill, passed
   86 to eight after easily clearing the House of Representatives last
   week.

   It aims to halt further construction of the $10.6 billion pipeline
   being built under the Baltic Sea and is set to double shipments of
   Russian natural gas to Germany.

   The German-Russian Chamber of Commerce said last week the pipeline was
   important for the energy security of Europe and called for retaliatory
   sanctions on the US if the bill passes.

   But U.S. lawmakers have warned it would send billions of dollars to
   Moscow and vastly increase President Vladimir Putin's influence in
   Europe at a time of heightened tension.

   The National Defense Authorization Act, a $738 billion package for 2020
   that includes the sanctions, now heads to the White House, where Trump
   is expected to sign it.

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