Even if Berlin suspends the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project, it does not mean that this would be beneficial for the US, German Energy Minister Peter Altmaier said.
"The US is looking for markets, we understand this, and we are ready to make it easier for US gas to reach Germany, but as for now, it remains more expensive than the gas supplied through the pipeline," the minister told the ARD broadcaster.
Altmaier also added that if the United States puts its own economic interests at the forefront, they should be prepared that the Europeans "would respond in kind."
READ MORE: Just Business? US Prepares to Hit Nord Stream 2 Gas Pipeline With Sanctions
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is planning to discuss the gas pipeline project and its possible impact on the region with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.
Earlier, Sandra Oudkirk, US deputy assistant secretary of state for energy, has declared that the White House is willing to impose economic sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, according to Spiegel Online.
According to her, the undersea pipeline will allegedly provide Russia with an opportunity to install surveillance equipment beneath the Baltic Sea and may also increase Europe's reliance on Russian natural gas supplies.
READ MORE: US Ambassador Tilts Nord Stream-2 Amid 'Problematic Russian Influence'
Deutsche Welle, however, pointed out that the White House also has an ulterior motive in the matter, as it "would like to export to Europe the natural gas it extracts through hydraulic fracking, pushing Gazprom out of the market."
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is projected to deliver 55 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas annually to the EU across the Baltic Sea to Germany, bypassing Ukraine.
Construction permits have already been issued by Germany and Finland.
