“The European Commission is categorically against the imposition of sanctions against European companies that participate in the project in accordance with legal standards,” quotes Der Spiegel von der Leyen.
On December 20, US leader Donald Trump signed the country's defense budget for the new fiscal year, which provides for sanctions against SP-2.
The Kremlin called these measures unacceptable, promising not to leave them unanswered.
Later, the State Department announced that the Nord Stream 2 contracting companies would not be subject to US sanctions if all work on the gas pipeline was curtailed before January 20.