The United States Senate passed on Tuesday a $738 billion 2020 draft defense budget bill which includes sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project. The bill also authorizes the creation of the Space Force as a new military branch.
The legislation, which was approved by the House of Representatives last week, will now be sent to President Donald Trump to sign it into law.
Germany and Russia have slammed Washington's plans to sanction the Nord Stream 2 project as German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas insisted that European energy policy should be "decided in Europe," while Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko accused the US of resorting to sanctions in an effort to obtain "unilateral advantages in the gas sector by violating the interests of Europeans."