The Biden administration has waived sanctions on the company and CEO overseeing the construction of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline project, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday, saying that the decision was made in the U.S. national interest. Blinken waived the sanctions despite Congress receiving a report on the pipeline project from the State Department, which concluded that the company Nord Stream 2 AG and its CEO Matthias Warnig, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, engaged in sanctionable activity. State Department spokesman Ned Price has previously said however that sanctions are only “one of many tools” that can be used. The State Department had imposed sanctions on four Russian ships, including the Akademik Cherskiy, which began pipe-laying for the project in Danish waters in April. It had also imposed the measures on five other Russian entities, including the Russian Marine Rescue Service. “Today’s actions demonstrate the administration’s commitment …