Washington is continuing to examine a number of companies engaged in the Nord Stream 2 project to assess whether they might be potentially subject to U.S. sanctions legislation, U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan said in an interview with Interfax.ru.

"With respect to sanctions, we continue to examine entities potentially engaged in sanctionable behavior. And this is a matter of law in the United States. The administration remains committed, and is obliged, by statute," Sullivan said.

In particular, this was Sullivan's answer to a question as to whether Washington will continue to put up barriers to the project or whether the U.S. considers it to be now inevitable.

"So, the administration will continue to implement that act [Protecting European Energy Security Act]. We've sanctioned seven persons related to Nord Stream 2 and identified over 15 vessels, as blocked property. But that's a legal obligation that our Congress has imposed that we will continue to follow," the ambassador said.

The United States' stance in opposition to Nord Stream 2 is well-known, he said.

"But, you've also seen in recognition of the almost complete - completely finishing and getting the pipeline certified for use, that the United States has reached an agreement with Germany to address energy security issues, and particularly energy security and Ukraine," Sullivan said.