European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has refused to raise the subject of Nord Stream 2 during his visit to Ukraine. The head of the European diplomacy told the Polish newspaper PAP.

Borrell said that they are now concentrating all efforts on defusing tensions and preventing the situation from deteriorating. According to him, the decision on the pipeline is entirely in the hands of the German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA), which acts as a state regulator in the Nord Stream 2 deal, reports Lenta.

Earlier, the head of one of the investor companies of Nord Stream 2, CEO of German energy company Uniper Klaus-Dieter Maubach said that the certification of the pipeline could be completed by mid-2022. He added that the verification being conducted on the deal by BNetzA is fully in line with the plans.

On January 4, it also became known that the US Senate was preparing a package of sanctions against Nord Stream 2. A representative of the Senate Republican fraction said that the vote would take place on January 14. He assured that the Senate would pass the sanctions bill and submit it to the House of Representatives.

Nevertheless, US President Joe Biden has already signed the US defense budget for 2022 in December 2021. The law provides resources to contain Russia, but new sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline were abandoned in the document.