U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee backs sanctions against Russia's gas pipeline projects

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs has unanimously endorsed a bill to impose sanctions on Russian gas pipeline projects.

"We welcome the endorsement by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives of U.S. Congress of the Protecting Europe's Energy Security Act [of 2019], which provides for the introduction of U.S. sanctions against Russian energy export pipelines, including Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream," the Ukrainian Embassy in the United States said on Facebook.

Read alsoU.S. government interested in Ukraine's strengthening as gas transit power – Ukrainian Cabinet

"The Act says that the Russian government 'uses energy as a tool of coercion and political leverage' and a central element of the strategy is an increase in the dependence of European countries on Russian energy supplies. It is the Nord Stream 2 and the Turkish Stream [projects] that serve these purposes of the Kremlin and should be stopped," the embassy said.

The Act also provides a mechanism for guaranteeing the volume of natural gas transit through the territory of Ukraine.

According to CEO of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine Andriy Kobolyev, the committee's decision significantly increases the chances for passing the act on sanctions by the House of Representatives.

"Due to the unanimous support of the initiative, we expect that the House of Representatives will approve the bill in July. Considering that representatives of both the Republican and Democratic Parties support the adoption of the document, it has a chance to be voted in the Senate and signed by the U.S. President in August," Kobolyev said.

According to him, the document "is aimed against the Kremlin's political gas projects and does not affect other interests."

As UNIAN reported earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 12 that the United States was studying the possibility of imposing sanctions on the project to build Nord Stream 2 in the Baltic Sea.

In May, U.S. senators proposed imposing sanctions against the builders of Nord Stream 2. In particular, they propose a ban on entry into the U.S. and freeze financial assets of persons who sell or rent vessels for the construction of Nord Stream 2.