Conquer Club

The US House of Representatives has voted to impose fresh sanctions on Russia, despite President Donald Trump objecting to the legislation.

The sanctions on Russia were drawn up in part to further punish its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. If passed, they would:

Penalise firms, including those in Europe, that contribute to Russian energy development, affecting companies involved the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany

The European Union has expressed concern about US plans to impose fresh sanctions on Russia, amid concern they could hurt energy companies.

In a statement, the Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned of "unilateral effects that impact the EU's energy security interests".

Several European nations, including Germany, are angry because the new law could penalise companies working on pipelines from Russia, for example by limiting their access to US banks

The EU says it is raising its concerns via diplomatic channels. But the Commission president says that if these are not taken into account sufficiently, "we stand ready to act appropriately within a matter of days".

"America first cannot mean that Europe's interests come last," Mr Juncker added. It is unclear what sort of action he is proposing.

A spokesman for the Germany foreign ministry also criticised the bill on Wednesday, saying US politicians were conducting industrial policy under the guise of sanctions, according to Reuters.

mrswdk wrote:

The European Union has expressed concern about US plans to impose fresh sanctions on Russia, amid concern they could hurt energy companies.

In a statement, the Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned of "unilateral effects that impact the EU's energy security interests".

Several European nations, including Germany, are angry because the new law could penalise companies working on pipelines from Russia, for example by limiting their access to US banks

The EU says it is raising its concerns via diplomatic channels. But the Commission president says that if these are not taken into account sufficiently, "we stand ready to act appropriately within a matter of days".

"America first cannot mean that Europe's interests come last," Mr Juncker added. It is unclear what sort of action he is proposing.

A spokesman for the Germany foreign ministry also criticised the bill on Wednesday, saying US politicians were conducting industrial policy under the guise of sanctions, according to Reuters.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40727044