WASHINGTON, January 22. /TASS/. The Democratic Party has submitted its own version of a bill on anti-Russian sanctions, to be imposed in case of escalation over Ukraine, to the House of Representatives of the US Congress, the chair of the US lower chamber’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks, said in a statement.

The text of the document is largely identical to the Senate’s version and envisages sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as the Russian prime minister, foreign and defense ministers, the chief of the Russian General Staff and other top brass. Besides, the US restrictions are to affect the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project.

The Senate’s version of the document, headlined the Defending Ukraine Sovereignty Act of 2022, was submitted to the upper chamber last week by a group of lawmakers, led by Senator Bob Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The initiative should be approved by each of the two chambers before being submitted to the US president for signing. The White House earlier declared its support for the bill.

The West and Kiev have recently been spreading allegations about Russia’s potential ‘invasion’ of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these claims as "empty and unfounded," serving as a ploy to escalate tensions, pointing out that Russia did not pose any threat whatsoever to anyone. However, Peskov did not rule out the possibility of provocations aimed at justifying such allegations and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have very serious consequences. He also said that Moscow was making all possible efforts to help Kiev settle the Donbass conflict while remaining committed to the Normandy format and the Minsk Package of Agreements.