The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, announced that the US administration will impose sanctions against two Russian ships, and against a company involved in the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project, which also has links with Russia.

Blinken said that sanctions will be applied against TransAdria Limited, and its ship, the Marilyn, which will be classified as embargoed property.

"Even as the administration continues to oppose the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, including via our sanctions, we continue to work with Germany and other allies and partners to reduce the risks posed by the pipeline to Ukraine and frontline NATO and EU countries and to push back against harmful Russian activities, including in the energy sphere," he added.

In parallel, Nord Stream 2 AG, the operator of the Russian-German North Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany, announced last October that the first series of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline had been filled with technical gas, pointing out that work is in progress to fill out the second series. 

The North Stream 2 project includes laying a gas pipeline of 1,230 km under the waters of the Baltic Sea, with a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters annually, from the Russian coast to Germany.

Price: Washington's approach to Nord Stream 2

Last February, US State Department spokesman Ned Price announced that Washington may take new decisions regarding imposing sanctions on the North Stream-2 gas pipeline project.

Price added that the completion and approval of the pipeline will be monitored and decisions about sanctions would be made. 

Washington imposed sanctions on the project in December 2019 and called for companies to contribute to stopping the pipeline immediately. 

Antonov: New US sanctions are unacceptable

The new US sanctions over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline are unacceptable, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said.

"Dialogue through sanctions is unacceptable and violates international law. We regard all attempts against Russian oil and gas exports to Europe as unfair competition that undermines the principles of a free market," Antonov said in a statement posted on the diplomatic mission's Facebook page.

He added that "the American administration, whether Republicans or Democrats, has been trying for several years to complicate Russian-European energy cooperation. At first, Washington wanted to disrupt the completion of the pipeline. It failed: the pipeline has been laid and is ready for launch. Now they are trying to delay the commissioning of the facility. And this is with simultaneous calls on Russia to increase energy supplies to Europe to minimize the consequences of the fuel crisis."

Antonov said Moscow rejects accusations regarding Russia's energy policy, noting that the US is disrespecting allies who are attempting to build long-term mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia.

"We have proven in practice that we are reliable partners in the energy sphere," he emphasized.