Germany ‘won’t back down’ under threat of US sanctions over Nord Stream 2 pipeline with Russia – Merkel

Chancellor Angela Merkel has insisted that Berlin will not give into pressure from Washington after the US Senate approved a bill sanctioning German companies working on a pipeline that will deliver natural gas from Russia.

During Wednesday’s Q&A session in parliament, lawmakers asked Merkel about the possibility of the US slapping sanctions on German companies building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

The chancellor said that she firmly opposes such sanctions because they have an extraterritorial effect. They will not push Berlin to abandon the project, however, she said.

We haven’t backed down [to the US] with regards to the NSA [spying] affair, nor do we intend to back down now.

On Tuesday, the US Senate approved a bill that allows the imposition of sanctions on German entities over Nord Stream 2. Officials in Washington have long tried to pressure Germany into ditching the project, arguing that it would render the country too dependent on Moscow.

Merkel, however, has always maintained that the Nord Stream 2 serves Germany’s economic interests, and Russia is a reliable gas supplier. She has also repeatedly denied claims that the nation risks growing too economically and politically dependent on Russia.

The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, slammed the US’ crusade against the pipeline as an attempt to promote the sale of its own natural gas in Europe by means of “unlawful competition.”

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