MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump enacted a measure that will impose sweeping sanctions on Russia and other countries. The legislation targets Russian defense, intelligence, mining, shipping and railway industries, and restricts dealings with the country’s banks and energy companies. The new US law particularly targets the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, a joint EU-Russian project in which the Uniper company participates, over the alleged threat it poses to the energy security of the bloc and Ukraine.
"I believe in the Nord Stream 2 project, and I am firmly convinced that this project will be realized. European energy policy must not become a political football of American economic and domestic policy. That is why I very much welcome the fact that the German government and the European Commission are firmly focused on this issue and have taken a clear position with regard to it. I am aware of my responsibility to Uniper, our shareholders and employees, and I take this responsibility very seriously. That is why I will make every effort to protect Uniper from the risks posed by potential US sanctions," Schafer said in the statement, obtained by Sputnik.
The new US restrictions have prompted criticism from European authorities, who believe that the sanctions concerned the European Union's security interests. In July, Berlin and Vienna issued a joint statement condemning the legislation, which they regarded as illegal. Germany and Austria also said that the sanctions target EU companies involved in deliveries of the bloc's energy supply.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday that by targeting Moscow in the newly adopted law, Washington declared a fully-fledged trade war on Russia.
