The government in Berlin is arguing that slapping new sanctions on the controversial pipeline to Germany would weaken the credibility of the United States and "ultimately damage transatlantic unity," the axios.com website reported, citing documents it had viewed.
The German appeal comes at a time when some 100,000 Russian troops are massing near the Ukrainian border, with Ukraine viewing Nord Stream 2 as an existential threat to its security, axios.com said.
It added that the pipeline would circumvent Ukrainian transit infrastructure, eliminating one of the last deterrents Kyiv has against an invasion.
The United States and Germany in the summer struck a deal whereby they had agreed to end a long-standing dispute over the controversial pipeline, which is designed to bring Russian gas directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea while bypassing eastern European countries.
Under the deal, the United States agreed to suspend sanctions on companies involved in the project, while Germany pledged to take a series of measures against Russia should Moscow use the new pipeline to harm Ukraine or other eastern European countries.
Dissatisfied Republicans in the US Senate are now pushing for new sanctions as an amendment to an annual defense policy bill, with a vote possible later this week, according to axios.com.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said in July that the US-German agreement, which allowed the completion of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Germany, posed a risk to the security of a large portion of Europe.
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Source: axios.com