An EU delegation in Washington has officially opposed the US threat of additional sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project last week, an EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and security confirmed.

This step marks a shift towards a more concerted EU stance, which could put more pressure on the US to find a compromise and water down its position. Before that, opposition to US sanctions had been sparse and coming mostly from Germany, according to Icis.com. The construction of the Nord Stream pipeline has been put on hold due to US sanctions voted in December.

The project remains 93% built. Once completed, it will double Russia’s direct pipeline export capacity to the EU to 110 billion cubic meters (bcm)/year.