© Reuters / Maxim ShemetoFILE PHOTO.
"We do not need to talk about European sovereignty if it means that, in the future, we will only do everything Washington wants," Maas told Germany's dpa news agency while commenting on the German government's stance on the Russian gas pipeline project.
"The federal government will not change its position on Nord Stream 2."
The pipeline has long been a point of contention between Berlin and Washington. Backed by Russia's state-owned Gazprom, as well as by German, French and British energy companies, Nord Stream 2, if completed, would link Siberia's gas fields with consumers in Western Europe.
The US has repeatedly sought to undermine its construction - mostly through sanctions targeting European companies involved in the project in particular - all while arguing it also undermines European sovereignty, by making Europe too dependent on Russian gas.
Europe sees the US actions as a pursuit of its own purely economic goal, which is to increase its own sales of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to its European partners. Germany has particularly been one of the staunchest defenders of the Nord Stream 2. However, earlier, Maas said he expected to resolve the issue through reaching a deal with the Biden administration.
He also admitted, though, that Berlin is perfectly aware that there is "hardly any difference in views between Democrats and Republicans" when it comes to the issue. His latest statement came just as Nord Stream 2, the company managing the construction, told dpa that a section of the pipeline in the German exclusive economic zone has been completed.
Earlier, the CEO of the Russian energy giant Gazprom, Alexey Miller, confirmed that 94 percent of the pipeline had now been completed. According to media reports, further works in Danish waters should start at some point in January.
Denmark approved the construction in early October. When commissioned, Nord Stream 2 will supply Europe with up to 55 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per year, on top of the 55 bcm already being pumped through Nord Stream 1.
Construction of German stretch of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline FINISHED, company says
Nord Stream 2 AG, the company managing a major project to bring Russian gas to Europe, announced on Monday that the construction of the 2.6-kilometer stretch of the gas pipeline in German waters has been completed.
The company said that it's wrapped up the work in the German exclusive economic zone and is now ready to transition to the next phase, the German press agency dpa reported.
Nord Stream 2 AG said that any further announcements will be made "at the appropriate time," and that the company "could not reveal" any further details.
The construction of the German stretch of the Nord Stream 2 project resumed on December 11, and continued despite threats of sanctions coming from the US State Department.
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