After reports broke that President Biden is waiving sanctions to allow Russia to build its Nord Stream 2 pipeline giving President Putin a huge geopolitical win and significantly increasing his leverage in Europe lawmakers have blasted the move. Even Democrat Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez harshly condemned Biden’s move to cave to Putin.

Townhall reports:

“I am opposed to the decision by the Biden Administration to waive sanctions on NS2 AG and Matthias Warnig.  I urge the administration to rip off the Band-Aid, lift these waivers and move forward with the congressionally mandated sanctions. The administration has said that the pipeline is a bad idea and that it is a Russian malign influence project.  I share that sentiment, but fail to see how today’s decision will advance U.S. efforts to counter Russian aggression in Europe,” Menendez released in a statement. “If the administration maintains these waivers, I have several questions. First, what does the administration now expect from Germany after having made this significant concession to exercise the waiver? Will Berlin strengthen its support for Ukraine in the Normandy Format? Will it provide additional assistance to Kyiv in its struggle against Russian aggression?  Also, what will the administration do to bolster our relationship with Ukraine?

[Read Next: Biden Could Be The Most Pro-Russia President in Modern History]