German Foreign Minister: Berlin Will Not Change Its Position on Nord Stream 2

German Foreign Minister Heiko Mas commented on the prospects for completing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the face of a change in US leadership. Berlin does not intend to change its position on the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline against the background of the imminent coming to power of the new administration in the United States. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany Heiko Mas (Heiko Maas) in an interview with the agency dpa, which quotes his words on Monday, December 28. "There will be no need to talk about European sovereignty, if this means that in the future, we will do everything only the way Washington wants it," he stressed. "The federal government will not change its attitude towards Nord Stream 2," the German minister said. As the dpa agency specifies, US President-elect Joseph Biden, like the current head of the White House, Donald Trump, opposes the construction of the gas pipeline. Officially, the democrat has not yet commented on this issue, although a number of Western experts have noted that the topic will continue to remain "painful" even after the change of the American administration. The Kremlin, in turn, expressed the hope that the new leadership of the United States will treat its partners "with respect." Mas: "It is important that we adhere to a single line on central issues." Mas said the problems, in the assessments of which Washington and Berlin will differ, will remain in the future. "It is important that we adhere to a single line on central strategic and geopolitical issues, we are on the same side," he concluded. Nord Stream 2 resumed pipe-laying in the German part of the Baltic Sea in December, and plans to start work in Danish waters from 15 January. The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has already been completed by more than 90 percent, and only a section of about 160 kilometers remains to be laid. Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov on December 27 called the sanctions against the pipeline a raider attack. Donald Trump vetoed US President Donald Trump vetoed the FY2021 defense budget on December 23 (started in the United States on October 1, 2020). The bill, among other things, provides for the expansion of sanctions against the construction of the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The document was previously approved by the US Congress. The draft law, in particular, provides for sanctions against companies promoting the sale, lease and use of pipe-laying vessels, as well as providing insurance and technical services. Trump is not satisfied with a number of articles unrelated to the Russian gas pipeline, but lawmakers are likely to be able to overcome the resistance of the head of state. A vote on this issue in the US House of Representatives is scheduled for December 28.