Nord Stream 2 Pipeline to Start Operating, Albeit With Delay - Kremlin

"The company has made a decision to stop work amid US sanctions, which we see as illegal. This decision will obviously shift the commissioning date to the right, but will not obstruct it. We hope that the project will be put into service, although with a delay, we have necessary capacities, as we have already said", Peskov told reporters.

When asked whether Russia planned to impose any sanctions on Allseas, Peskov said this was a "commercial matter that cannot be made public".

The Kremlin spokesman also said that it was impossible to reveal the new date of Nord Stream 2 bringing into operation.

"I do not think that anyone would reveal the date now. Some objective force-majeure circumstances have emerged ... [due to] actions of a third country circumventing international law and the rules of international trade and commercial relations. Yes, this creates problems", Peskov added.

Meanwhile, he reaffirmed that the project would be implemented anyway.

The Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture between Russia's Gazprom and five European companies. The 745-mile-long twin pipeline will carry up to 55 billion cubic meters (1.942 trillion cubic feet) of gas per year from Russia to Germany through the territorial waters or exclusive economic zones of Denmark, Finland, Germany, Russia and Sweden. Washington has been long opposing the project while trying to promote its liquefied natural gas to the European market.