The legislation, which aims to slap new sanctions against Russia as well as prevent the President of the United States from unilaterally withdrawing sanctions imposed against Russia and that got overwhelmingly passed through the Senate last week with 97 votes in favor and only 2 against, is now facing a blockade at the U.S. House of Representatives. If passed, which it may, risks not only the eruption of a major diplomatic row between the United States and Russia, United States also risks a diplomatic crisis with its partners in the European Union.

After the bill was passed that would fine European companies participating in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will bring Russian gas to Germany in a more cost effective way, two prominent European leaders, the Chancellor of Austria Christian Kern and Germany’s foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel criticized the decision and warned against imposing fines on European companies. AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan said that the Senate bill cannot be considered in the House in its current form. She added that Ryan strongly supports sanctions and will determine the next course of action after speaking with Senate colleagues.

The Trump administration remains opposed to the idea of further sanctions against Russia. During a hearing this month on White House’s budget proposals, the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that all of U.S. allies he met so far has urged him to improve relations between the United States and Russia.