Today, the European Union condemned the US sanctions against the companies participating in the construction of the North Stream Two gas pipeline.
The sanctions were condemned by the German government as well as the spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"The European Union opposes in principle the introduction of sanctions against European companies that participate in legal activities," said the EU spokesman.
US President Donald Trump last night signed an annual defense spending bill that included sanctions on Nord Stream 2, a pipeline being built to transport Russian gas supplies directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea, bypassing Ukraine.
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The European Commission is analyzing the possible consequences of the US sanctions, the EU spokesman said.
"The Commission's aim has always been to ensure that Nord Stream Two operates transparently with an appropriate level of legal oversight," he said.
The German government today condemned the US sanctions against the Nord Stream XNUMX gas pipeline, saying it was "interference in the internal affairs" of the country.
"The government rejects these extraterritorial sanctions. They affect German and European companies and represent interference in our internal affairs," Ulrike Demer, spokeswoman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said in a statement.
The spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today that US sanctions against companies associated with the construction of the Nord Stream XNUMX gas pipeline are preventing other countries from developing their economies.
"One country with a public debt of 22.000 billion dollars forbids solvent countries to develop their real economy," said Maria Zakharova on her Facebook page, condemning "the American ideology that cannot stand global competition."
"Soon we will be banned from breathing," she added.
Washington believes that these pipelines will increase Europeans' dependence on Russian gas and increase Moscow's influence. The EU, on the other hand, strongly condemns the US interference in its energy policy.
The sanctions, which are part of a broader bill related to the US defense budget for fiscal year 2020, include an asset freeze and the suspension of US visas for entrepreneurs connected to the pipeline.
The US State Department has 60 days to announce the names of the affected companies and individuals.
One of the main companies that is expected to be targeted for sanctions is Alseas, the Swedish company that owns the world's largest gas pipeline installation ship, the Pajoniring Spirit (Pioniring Sopirit). That company was hired by the Russian Gazprom for the construction of the part of the gas pipeline that is in the sea.
The North Stream Two gas pipeline represents an investment of ten billion euros, half of which is financed by Gazprom and the other half by five European companies (OMV, Wintershall Dea, Engie, Uniper and Shell). It was supposed to be commissioned at the end of 2019, but is now expected to be in early 2020.
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