Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Wednesday that he would cease holding up President Joe Biden's State Department nominees.

The announcement by Cruz followed indications by Biden that he would soon add U.S. sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG, the company that was building the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in Germany. The pipeline would transport gas from Russia to Germany, which on Tuesday said it would not certify the project.

"President Biden made the right decision today," Cruz said in a statement. "Allowing Putin's Nord Stream 2 to come online would have created multiple, cascading, and acute security crises for the United States and our European allies for generations to come. Today's announcement is critical to preventing such scenarios."

Cruz has delayed nominations to fill dozens of State Department positions in response to Biden's decision to wave sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG.

"Today, I have directed my administration to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its corporate officers," Biden said in a statement Wednesday. "These steps are another piece of our initial tranche of sanctions in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine. As I have made clear, we will not hesitate to take further steps if Russia continues to escalate."

Despite the praise for the White House decision, Cruz tweeted Wednesday afternoon that Biden becoming president was the best thing for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Senate Democrats in January blocked a bill proposed by Cruz, seeking to sanction companies tied to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Meanwhile, Putin on Wednesday showed no signs of backing down over Ukraine -- despite a spate of new economic sanctions from all directions.

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