The controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is getting a push from foreign governments and Washington lobbyists as President Joe Biden weighs the U.S. response to the project.

The Biden administration imposed sanctions Wednesday on thirteen vessels and four entities involved in construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. But the administration waived sanctions on Nord Stream AG and its chief executive due to “U.S. national interests,” Axios reported earlier this week. The decision to waive sanctions comes as the Biden administration seeks to rebuild ties with Germany and other European countries following Donald Trump’s presidency.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Wednesday the U.S. “will continue to oppose the completion of this project.” Biden’s State Department continues to insist that Nord Stream 2 “is a Russian geopolitical project that threatens European energy security and that of Ukraine and eastern flank NATO Allies and partners.” Blinken met with his Kremlin counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, Wednesday ahead of an expected summit between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming weeks.

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