Nord Stream

BGR Government Affairs terminated its relationship with Nord Stream 2 AG, the company behind construction of a pipeline between Germany and Russia, after President Biden sanctioned it on Feb. 23 following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Nord Stream 2, which is controlled by Russian energy giant Gazprom, had stepped up its lobbying push at BGR as Putin massed troops along Ukraine’s border.

It shelled out $420K in lobbying fees from Jan. 1 at BGR until the firm ended the relationship on Feb. 24.

That oulay compared to $210K during Q4 2021 and $870K for all of last year.

Gazprom funds 50 percent of Nord Stream 2’s operating budget and is 38 percent owned by the Russian Federation.

Walker Roberts, co-head of BGR’s international and trade practice, led the push for Nord Stream 2.

He served in the Reagan White House and was chief foreign policy aide to Congressman Henry Hyde when he chaired the House Committee on International Relations.