The US State Department on Monday said that European firms which were associated with the Nord Stream 2 project have been showing progress in disentangling themselves. 

The State Department, led by Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, named 18 privately-owned companies who will be left out of considerations to be sanctioned. 

State Department spokesperson, Ned Price, said that the firms were taking initiatives for making “good-faith efforts to wind down activities related to Nord Stream 2.”

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“This demonstrates that the legislative goals and our actions are having a good effect,” he added. 

He further went on to name KVT-Rus, a Russia-based tuna firm, as a potential organisation to be sanctioned as it was actively engaged in work related to the Nord Stream 2 project. 

US President Joe Biden has been critical of the piping project, which connects Russia to central Europe, citing the weakening position of the states like Ukraine, which are a constant victim of Russian aggression. 

On the other hand, Biden’s administration has promised efforts for maintaining a cooperative policy for the European countries like Germany, which stands firmly arguing that the project is piping project is essential for fulfilling the energy supply of Europe. 

Price said, “When it comes to our allies and partners, it is fair to say that they would not be taken by surprise by any action we would take.”

He further added, “We will continue to monitor activity that could lead to additional penalties including sanctions, but I think it would be wrong to think of sanctions as the only tool in our toolbox here.”

Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Poland stated that Russia was “dangerously close” to the project’s completion, according to an article published by Politico. 

If it succeeds, Ukrainians will be convinced that the West did not care about their security, they wrote.

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“We call on US President Joe Biden to use all means at his disposal to prevent the project from completion,” they wrote.

Republican Senators slammed Biden for not keeping his promise of establishing a tougher policy towards the US’s old nemesis.  

A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a Republican Party member, Senator Jim Risch said, “This report is a gift to the Russians and their ongoing efforts to undermine European energy security, destabilize Ukraine and facilitate corruption and malign influence throughout Europe.”