BERLIN, February 4. /TASS/. The US intends to impose new sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if Russia attempts to complete its construction, Handelsblatt newspaper says on Tuesday, citing US diplomatic sources.
"If Russia attempts to complete construction of remaining kilometers of the pipeline, then the House of Representatives and the Senate [of the United States Congress - TASS] are ready to pass a new sanctions act," the source said. European investors or companies desirous to buy gas flowing over the pipeline can be affected this time, Handelsblatt reports.
Diplomatic sources do not exclude new sanctions can be in force as early as in February or in March.
German companies are concerned of the possible new measures against the project, the newspaper says.
Nord Stream 2 is an international project for the construction of a gas pipeline that will run across the bottom of the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast to Germany bypassing transit states. The new 1,200 kilometer pipeline, basically following the same route as Nord Stream, will traverse economic zones and territorial water of five countries, namely Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany. The pipeline’s capacity will be 55 billion cubic meters of gas a year.