WASHINGTON, July 18 - RIA Novosti, Ekaterina Sobol. Sen. John W. Barrasso of Wyoming introduced a draft law on sanctions against Nord Stream-2 to the US Congress. This is stated in the statement of the senator, published on his website.

According to him, the draft law will allow NATO members to avoid political coercion and manipulation by Russia.

"The Law on Energy Security Cooperation with Allied Partners in Europe enhances the energy security of NATO members by providing these countries with stable and reliable US energy resources and also imposes sanctions on the Nord Stream II gas pipeline that will supply natural gas from Russia to Germany along with other Russian energy export pipelines, "the statement says.

"We will compete"

On Monday, US President Donald Trump, at a joint news conference with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, said the US would compete with Nord Stream-2 through the supply of liquefied natural gas.

In turn, the Russian leader assured his American colleague that Moscow was ready to preserve the transit of gas through Ukraine after the introduction of Nord Stream-2, and to extend the transit contract if Gazprom and Naftogaz settle the dispute in the Stockholm court.

Later in an interview with Fox News Trump noted that Germany has the right to participate in the construction of a gas pipeline, but this will be difficult, since the country is part of NATO.

"Nord Stream - 2"

The Nord Stream-2 project involves the laying of two gas lines with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year from the Russian coast through the Baltic Sea to Germany.

The building permit has already been issued by the Federal Republic of Germany, Finland and Sweden. It remains to obtain consent from Denmark.

Against the "Nord Stream - 2" are some countries, primarily Ukraine, which is afraid of losing revenues from the transit of Russian gas, and the US, promoting ambitious plans to export its LNG to Europe.

In addition, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland jointly declared that they did not approve the construction of SP-2. Their leaders are sure that this is a political project.

Russia has repeatedly called for not perceiving the pipeline as an instrument of influence. According to Vladimir Putin, Moscow refers to the project exclusively from the economic point of view.