Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has announced that a possible imposition of U.S. sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 project would be unacceptable.
“Using sanctions to influence energy policy of Europe is simply unacceptable”, Boerse.de quoted the Minister as saying. According to the German diplomat, if the US is willing to sell more liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Europe, they should expand their supply channels.
“The decision on purchases should be made based on the cost, rather than by means of coercion and sanctions”, Heiko Maas noted.
As a reference, Nord Stream 2 project envisages construction of a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea. The pipeline is 1220 kilometers long and has a capacity of 55 billion cubic meters annually. Laying pipes in the Baltic Sea within the Nord Stream 2 project started in July 2018. The construction of the gas pipeline is expected to be completed by the end of 2019.
Earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported that the US prepared a package of sanctions that Washington could use within several weeks. Prior to this, the US called for Germany to withdraw from the project, while U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Russia completely controlled Berlin through gas supplies. Later, the leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Andrea Nahles, said that the country was not going to abandon its energy deals just because of the U.S. stance on the matter.
