In an interview with German ARD-Europa studio Brussels, the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that the European Union will come up with an adequate response and within days, if the new sanctions law, which was signed by President Trump despite his public stance against the bill last night, hurt the interests of the European companies dealing with Russia. He pointed out that EU reserves the right to take retaliatory measures in case its interests are violated. He also drew attention to the fact that the newly-signed US law can have unpredictable consequences for the EU in the field of energy security. He recalled his own statements made during the G-7 meeting in Italy and the G-20 meeting in Germany that the EU would be ready to respond within a short period of time in case the US imposes new unilateral sanctions against Russia. He added, “We must defend our economic interests even against the US. And that is what we are going to do… We are ready”.

He, however, pointed that US Congress has indicated that these sanctions will be imposed only in consultation with the US allies”. Previously, several important figures from the European Union have warned the US Congress against the move, including German economy and foreign minister.

The new US sanctions can affect EU efforts to diversify its energy supply, particularly in the Baltic region, the European Commission head warned as the sanctions target Nord Stream 2 pipeline aimed at supplying Russian gas to Germany.

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