U.S. House of Representatives backs bill to oppose Nord Stream 2

The U.S. House of Representatives has supported the bill to oppose Russia's Nord Stream 2 project, a gas pipeline to Europe bypassing Ukraine.

Lawmakers see the project as a threat to Europe's energy independence.

The bill, co-authored by Adam Kinzinger and Bill Keating, aims to prioritize the efforts of and enhance coordination among United States agencies to encourage countries in Europe and Eurasia to diversify their energy sources and supply routes, increase energy security in the region, and help the United States reach its global energy security goals.

European Energy Security and Diversification Act was adopted with 391 votes in support and 24 against, Voice of America reports.

The document calls to advance United States foreign policy and development goals by assisting European and Eurasian countries to reduce their dependence on energy resources from countries that use energy dependence for undue political influence, such as the Russian Federation, which has used natural gas to coerce, intimidate, and influence other countries.

It is also the U.S. policy to encourage United States public and private sector investment in European and Eurasian energy infrastructure projects to bridge the gap between energy security requirements and commercial demand in a way that is consistent with the region’s absorptive capacity.

Read alsoEU confirms Nord Stream 2 threatening its internal market

It calls on the government to help facilitate a well-functioning market for energy resources in a way that benefits the energy security of the United States and European and Eurasian allies and partners of the United States; and help facilitate the export of United States energy technology and expertise to global markets.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Trump last year signed a law giving him the right to sanction companies involved in Nord Stream 2, arguing it would make Germany “captive” to Moscow. In response, Moscow said Trump’s attacks were an attempt to promote U.S. liquefied natural gas in Europe.

Executive Director of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine Yuriy Vitrenko warns that if Ukraine loses its transit role, it will also forgo a security barrier to Russian aggression.

"Military experts warn that if Ukraine loses its transit role, it will also forgo a formidable security barrier to the Kremlin's aggression. At the moment, Russian gas is flowing through Ukraine to Europe and European cash is flowing back — keeping Russia's fragile economy afloat. If this interdependence between Russia and Ukraine was to disappear, Putin's hands will be untied," he said in an op-ed posted by POLITICO on March 14.