Sen. Cruz to President Biden: An NS2 Pipeline That is 95 Percent Complete is a Pipeline That is Zero Percent Complete

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement in response to President Biden's assertion that sanctions cannot stop Nord Stream 2 construction because the pipeline is almost done, and that sanctions are ‘counterproductive' to foreign relations:

"In the past few days, we have seen President Biden and his administration make major concessions to Vladimir Putin in his attempt to economically blackmail Europe. First, the Biden administration granted a waiver for the mandatory sanctions Congress passed and President Trump signed into law that had effectively halted construction of Nord Stream 2 in its tracks. These sanctions were repeatedly passed with bipartisan support in Congress. Then today, President Biden told reporters that he will allow Nord Stream 2 to be completed because it was almost done.

"President Biden should know two things. First, a Nord Stream 2 pipeline that is 95 percent complete, or even 99 percent complete, is a pipeline that is zero percent complete. If the pipeline is not 100 percent complete, it cannot operate. Second, the mandatory sanctions that the Biden administration cast aside on Putin's behalf were not counterproductive-they had stopped construction on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and had put a wrench in Putin's plan to kill Europe's energy independence.

"Make no mistake-President Biden's willingness to cater to Vladimir Putin is the only counterproductive thing at play here as we deal with Russia's dangerous expansionism."

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