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Diplomat blasts ‘Russophobic’ US sanctions bill related to Nord Stream 2

The US is going to pass a bill imposing sanctions on companies and individuals involved in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

© EPA-EFE/CLEMENS BILAN

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Operator of Nord Stream 2 project evaluates US Senate sanctions committee decision

MOSCOW, August 1. /TASS/. The US Congress bill, which proposes sanctions against companies involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, points to a new wave of the Russophobia campaign, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on Thursday.

"We have to note that so far, they are only discussing a new wave of Russophobic measures at the US Congress," the diplomat said in response to a TASS request for comment on the initiative. "They discuss many things, and decisions are not always taken. It is hard to say what this will lead to."

According to Zakharova, since 2011, Washington has introduced sanctions against Moscow over 70 times under various pretenses. "However, neither the former US administration nor the current one has achieved anything. Russia has been pursuing independent policy on the international arena and will continue to do so," the diplomat stressed. "The US cannot do anything about this."

"This concerns the construction of Nord Stream 2. The gas pipeline is built despite all the threats, and those introducing the sanctions make fools of themselves when they publically confirm their unwillingness to join a project beneficial to them or their refusal to let others become involved," Zakharova noted. "This is a testament to their own powerlessness and inability to use any other existing means. I don’t think we should comment on this every time."

The Nord Stream 2 project is set to expand the operation of the main gas pipeline, Nord Stream, which connects Russia and Germany bypassing transit countries, including Ukraine, Belarus, Poland and other Eastern European and Baltic states, stretched out along the Baltic Sea bed. The gas pipeline mirrors the Nord Stream route going through exclusive economic zones and territorial waters of five countries — Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany. The pipeline’s throughput capacity is 27.5 bln cubic meters a year. The total cost of the project has been estimated at 9.5 bln euro. The commissioning of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is scheduled for the end of 2019.

Washington has repeatedly spoken against the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, taking active measures to suspend this project.

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