BRUSSELS – The European Commission is concerned about new US sanctions on Russia that could impact Europe's energy security and has activated "all diplomatic channels" to resolve the issue.
US Republicans and Democrats reached a deal on legislation to allow new sanctions against Russia, which has led to concerns in Europe of "unintended consequences".
"We are following this process with some concern regarding the European Union's energy independence and our energy security interests. We are activating all diplomatic channels to address these concerns from these US measures with our US counterparts," a Commission spokesman told a news conference.
"For us, G7 unity regarding sanctions is of key importance as is respect of the implementation of the Minsk agreement. We in the European Union will have interests in these discussions and we expect those interests to be addressed by the free legislative process which is ongoing in the US," the spokesman said.