Merkel and Biden disagree on the assessment of the Nord Stream 2 project

The positions of Germany and the United States on the Nord Stream 2 project differ. This statement was made by German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a joint press conference with US President Joe Biden in Washington DC. Biden noted that even friends may disagree.

Earlier it was reported that Germany had issued all the permits for the construction of Nord Stream 2. The project provides for the construction of two lines of a gas pipeline from the Russian coast through the Baltic Sea to Germany. Also, the pipe will pass through the territorial or exclusive economic zones of Finland, Sweden and Denmark.

The project is actively opposed by the United States, which is promoting its liquefied natural gas to the EU, as well as Ukraine and a number of European countries. Russia has repeatedly called to stop mentioning Nord Stream 2 in the context of any politicization, since it is a commercial project, it is beneficial to both Russia and the European Union.

The pipeline is expected to be completed by the end of August. This was announced by the head of the company Matthias Warnig. He noted that 98 percent of the project has been completed. One of the lines is fully completed, the second branch is under completion. The process of technical acceptance has been launched, the German Ministry of Economy explained.