Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi believes that the European Union does not have the ability to impose sanctions against Russia in the gas sector. He stated this during the final press conference for the year, RIA Novosti reports.

“Let us, the Europeans, ask ourselves a question if we want to impose sanctions on gas: are we really capable of this, are we strong enough, is the moment right now? Obviously, the answers will be negative, ”the prime minister said.

Draghi believes that the EU is now in dialogue with Russia. He also pointed out that Russian President Vladimir Putin, in talks with his American counterpart Joe Biden, made it clear that "he wants to be in a state of negotiations, in which the development of events is possible, which would not lead to irreparable consequences."

Earlier it was reported that US senators next month will vote on sanctions against Nord Stream 2. According to The Hill newspaper, the vote is part of a deal to approve US President Joe Biden's nominations for State Department posts. The Senate must approve all candidacies, the first assessment is given by the profile committee. Texas Republican Ted Cruz, who proposed introducing restrictive measures, promised to slow down the approval of nominees in the event that no sanctions are imposed on Nord Stream 2.

In December, sanctions against the pipeline were not included in the draft defense budget for 2022 approved by the US Congress. In addition, items on personal sanctions against "Putin's entourage" and sanctions against the sovereign debt of the Russian Federation were excluded from there.

bbabo.Net