Biden under fire from Congress for waiving sanctions on Russian ...

The move was first reported by Axios.Secretary of State Antony Blinken opted to waive sanctions against the Russian-owned company behind the pipeline, Nord Stream 2 AG, as well as its German CEO, Matthias Warnig, and other corporate officers, because sanctions "would negatively impact U.S. relations with Germany, the EU and other European allies and partners," said the State Department report, which was obtained by NBC News.Warnig, a longtime ally of Putin's, is a former East German Stasi intelligence officer who has served on the supervisory boards of major Russian companies.The State Department report said "close cooperation" with Germany, the European Union and other European countries will be critical for U.S. efforts to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic, promote a global economic recovery, fight climate change and address other challenges, including countering "malign behavior by Russia and China."Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, denounced the decision in a scathing statement."I am opposed to the decision by the Biden administration to waive sanctions on NS2 AG and Matthias Warnig. Merkel argues that it is a purely commercial matter that should not be subject to geopolitics or linked to human rights concerns.Nord Stream 2 would double the shipments of Russian natural gas to Germany, providing German industry with inexpensive energy as the country makes a transition from coal and nuclear energy to renewable sources.The pipeline is more than 90 percent complete, and opponents argued that failing to act quickly would allow it to be completed.Poland and Ukraine have appealed publicly and privately to the Biden administration in recent months to act promptly to stop the pipeline."We continue to count on the United States to take decisive action to stop the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline; it is still not too late," the Polish Embassy in Washington said in an email Wednesday."Many countries perceive Nord Stream 2 as a project visibly marked by geopolitics, aiming to strengthen the position of Russia as a major gas supplier to Europe and to undermine Ukraine and the entire region's energy security," it said.Opinion in Germany is mixed, and federal elections in September could see a new government shift the country's policy on Nord Stream 2.