The United States and Germany are still at odds over Nord Stream 2 – the White House

Washington, April 28. / TASS /. A senior US government official said that Washington and Berlin differ in their approach to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, but that this does not affect relations between the two allies.

During a press conference on national security and foreign policy for the first 100 days US President Joe Biden was in office, the official was asked how the current US administration would act if it disagreed with its allies on some issues, and Nord Stream 2 was asked an example.

In response, the official said that an alliance or close partnership with another country does not mean that you agree on all issues, but rather that you “focus broadly and strategically on the main challenges you face.”

“For example, we made it clear to the German government that we think Nord Stream 2 is a bad job. You see it differently, and we’ve taken steps, including some specific steps, to approve a deal, and we’ve done that.” Determined to try to get them to change their perspective. “About this pipeline.”

He added, “But our relationship mainly with Germany and our relationship with our other major European partners and across the Atlantic are the cornerstones of our rapprochement with the rest of the world, including Russia.”

Washington openly opposes the construction of Nord Stream 2 and is actively trying to halt the project, primarily to harm Moscow’s interests and support Ukraine as a country to transport Russian natural gas to Europe. In addition, many experts report that the United States is trying to persuade Europe to buy LNG, which is much more expensive than the natural gas that Russia provides via pipelines. In recent years, the United States has passed a number of bills that pave the way for unilateral sanctions, including for companies involved in the project.

The Nord Stream 2 project envisages the construction of two pipelines with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters per year from the Russian coast through the Baltic Sea to Germany. Construction of the pipeline was halted at the end of 2019 when Swiss pipeline company Allseas suspended operations due to Washington’s sanctions. However, work resumed in December 2020 after a one-year hiatus. The new pipeline will greatly double the capacity of the existing operational Nord Stream pipeline by following the same path.