U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today in response to the Biden Administration’s decision to waive additional sanctions on individuals involved in the Russian-led Nord Stream 2 pipeline project: 

“Let me get this straight — President Biden is shutting down pipelines in the United States, like Keystone XL, while giving strongman Putin a free pass at Nord Stream 2, a pipeline that Putin will use to pressure our allies in Europe.

"I am alarmed and disappointed that the Biden Administration is waiving additional sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. The Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, which Congress passed with strong bipartisan support, provided additional sanctions options to stop what the President himself has called “a bad deal” – but the Administration has decided not to follow through on their rhetoric and is instead handing Putin a win.

“Combined with U.S. defense budget cuts, this failure to act only serves to tighten Russia’s grip over Europe and weaken Ukraine’s economic security. Worse, it illustrates to both allies and adversaries that tough U.S. rhetoric can be ignored because the Administration won’t follow through. This is not in America’s best interest. If we hope to credibly deter further Russian aggression, we must provide more robust defense spending and utilize all diplomatic tools at our disposal, including sanctions that could actually stop this project.”