MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Sanctions the United States intends to introduce against participants in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project constitute violation of international trade norms and cannot be justified by any motives, press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

"We have already said that attempts to oppose a purely commercial international project absolutely in conflict and constitute a strong violation of all trade rules and norms, WTO norms," the press secretary said. "This is nothing short of that [violation - TASS] and they cannot be disguised by any other motives," Peskov noted.

It was reported earlier that US senator John Barrasso submitted a bill to the US Congress concerning sanctions against investors into Russian projects for exports of energy resources. Experts explain such steps by the desire of the United States to push forward much more expensive liquefied natural gas to the European market.