BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that she isn't abandoning a German-Russian gas pipeline project that faces U.S.
sanctions, although it's likely to be an irritant in generally improved relations with the new administration.The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which would bring Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea, faces bipartisan opposition in the United States.Washington has said that the project would make Europe more dependent on Russian gas and hurt European energy security.
The Kremlin has responded by accusing the U.S. government of trying to promote sales of its own liquefied natural gas.Nord Stream 2 is owned by Russian state company Gazprom, with investment from several European companies.