Washington plans to expand sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in the coming weeks, Reuters reports, citing sources in the administration of the US President Donald Trump. According to the interlocutors of the agency, the new restrictions "can deal a fatal blow" to the project.

      According to Reuters, for the deep-water laying of the pipeline, Gazprom may need the help of foreign companies in order to complete the construction faster. Washington says it has "reliable information" that the Spanish crane ship Oceanic 5000 in the Canary Islands is already undergoing the necessary upgrades to allow the ship to lay pipes at depth. One of the agency’s three sources said that some European organizations involved in the project could avoid sanctions if they “make good faith efforts to negate their involvement” in the project.

      It should be reminded that the laying of Nord Stream 2 has been suspended for almost a year, Gazprom has to lay about 150 km of pipe. Denmark announced that the laying of two lines of the gas pipeline will begin on January 15, 2021. In December, the US Senate approved the draft defense budget for the 2021st fiscal year, the document provides for the expansion of restrictive measures against Nord Stream 2. It is expected that the restrictions will include companies facilitating the “sale, lease or provision of pipe-laying vessels for construction” of the pipeline, as well as companies providing services, funds for upgrading or installing equipment on vessels for its laying.