"The United States opposes the proposed Nord Stream 2 project," the spokesperson said on Wednesday. "While we do not comment on potential future sanctions actions, we have been clear that firms working in the Russian energy export pipeline sector are engaging in a line of business that carries sanctions risk."
Moreover, Russia knows that its pipeline project is dividing Europe and will use the division to its advantage, the spokesperson added.
Earlier on Wednesday at the NATO Summit in Brussels, US President Donald Trump criticized Germany for working on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline with Russia and for buying Russian oil and gas.
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Trump said heavy reliance on Russian oil and gas supplies was "inappropriate," and urged NATO to discuss the "billions and billions of dollars" paid to Moscow. Moreover, Trump also called Germany "a captive" of Russia.
Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Russian energy giant Gazprom and France's Engie, Austria’s OMV AG, UK-Denmark’s Royal Dutch Shell, and Germany's Uniper and Wintershall. The pipeline will run under the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast to a hub in Germany, and have an annual capacity of 55 billion cubic meters. The pipeline is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2019.