Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov commented on the expansion of the US sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
According to him, the Kremlin treats the decision of the American side in the same way as "to all other sanctions aspirations" of the United States, and considers this to be nothing more than a manifestation of unfair competition, Peskov noted.
The presidential spokesman added that such steps "fundamentally contradict the principles of international trade and international law."
“Of course, we will do everything to protect our interests and to protect the interests of international commercial projects,” said Peskov.
Let us remind you that earlier the US Congress agreed on the expansion of sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream gas pipelines.
The new restrictions were included in the draft US defense budget for 2021.
This is stated in the version of the law on appropriations for national defense for next year, agreed by the chambers of Congress.
The document contains a provision that complements a subsection of the 2019 European Energy Security Law on “clarification and expansion of sanctions against projects for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream gas pipelines.
The law provides restrictions on insurance and underwriting companies required to complete the project.
Also, sanctions apply to companies that provide services for the modernization or installation of welding equipment on ships participating in the construction, as well as their modification or additional equipment.
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At the same time, the document notes that the President of the United States may, as an exception, refuse to apply sanctions against a particular person, if he considers such an exception to be in the national interests of the United States.
The head of the international committee of the Federation Council, Konstantin Kosachev, noted that the American document is directed against European companies, but the law is presented as created to protect European security.
"The obsession of American politicians with the" super task "at any cost to block the implementation of gas pipelines with Russian participation is no longer surprising to anyone - here we observe the unity of even those forces that openly conflict on many other issues," RIA Novosti quotes the senator.
Kosachev drew attention to the fact that the US defense budget for 2021 must still be signed by President Donald Trump, who has already twice promised to veto.
“Be that as it may, the" sanctions diplomacy "of the United States continues, and America again shows the world what its leadership means: not to create by ourselves and prevent others from building," the senator concluded.
Igor Yushkov, a leading analyst at the National Energy Security Fund, recalled that the old sanctions that were adopted a year ago were also included in the defense budget, and noted that the current package can be called concretizing, but it does not contain fundamentally new provisions.
“Russia has shown that it is not afraid to fall under sanctions and is ready to bring a number of its ships under them, because the main thing is to complete the construction of the gas pipeline.
And from this point of view, American sanctions look stupid.
This sanctions package will not interfere with the completion of Nord Stream 2, "the expert explained in a conversation with RT.
The European Commission also opposed the expansion of restrictive measures by the United States.
The representative of the press service of the EC Peter Stano noted that the EU "in principle opposes the imposition of sanctions by third countries against companies conducting legitimate business."
“The extraterritorial application of sanctions is contrary to international law.
European policy is determined in Europe, not in third countries, ”he told RIA Novosti.
Recall that the United States, which is promoting its liquefied natural gas to the EU, is actively opposing the completion of the gas pipeline, claiming that it allegedly threatens the energy security of Europe.
So, at the end of December 2019, US President Donald Trump approved the country's defense budget for the new fiscal year, involving sanctions against the Russian pipelines Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream.
The document referred to the introduction of restrictive measures against ships laying pipes at a depth of more than 100 feet (30 m), as well as companies that sell or lease such ships.
In August 2020, three US senators sent a letter to the operator of the German port of Mukran in the city of Sassnitz, demanding that work to support the construction of the gas pipeline be stopped, threatening otherwise "serious consequences."
In October, the US broadened its interpretation of the provisions of the law that imposed sanctions on Russian gas pipelines.
The State Department said in a statement that the restrictions could now affect companies that provide services or goods for ships involved in projects.