Viktor Zubkov, Gazprom's Chairman, said on Friday that work on Nord Stream 2 was already 90 - 92 percent complete and that it would be completed this year, TASS reported.

Washington has said the pipeline would dangerously increase Moscow’s regional clout. The pipeline would also bypass Ukraine, likely depriving it of lucrative transit revenues at a time when Kiev is locked in a confrontation with Moscow.

“Work is under way actively, there’s a very small amount left,” Zubkov was quoted as saying. “Of course it will be finished this year, definitely. The lost time is a shame, but that’s what happened.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday he had told his German counterpart that sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline were a real possibility and there was “no ambiguity” in American opposition to its construction.