WASHINGTON, June 27. /TASS/. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said he had discussed how sanctions affect the work of US companies on the Russian market with US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry on Tuesday.
"We discussed the work of US companies on the Russian market, including ExxonMobil, Schlumberger, Halliburton and others. [We also discussed] the impact of sanctions on those companies’ work, and exchanged most recent information," he said.
The two officials also discussed "promoting gas on global markets as the most environmentally friendly type of fuel."
The minister, who also met with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin during his visit to Washington, said he raised the issue of US sanctions against Russia’s project to build the Nord Stream-2 Europe-bound gas pipeline during his talks with US officials.
"We raised the [Nord Stream-2] issue and will keep in touch on those matters," he said, answering to a reporter’s question, without elaborating on results of those discussions.
He said that Washington’s unilateral sanctions against the Russian energy sector hit US companies too by keeping them out of profitable projects in Russia.
"We raised the issues of sanctions imposed on Russia’s oil and gas sector, and we exchanged opinions on the issue," he said. "In my opinion, the sanctions currently have a negative impact on US companies as well, preventing them from engaging in quite profitable and efficient projects in the Russian Federation."
"In fact, we believe that such measures damage not only relations between the countries, but their economies as well," the Russian minister added.
Novak visited Washington on June 26 to take part in the World Gas Conference.