In July, US President Donald Trump said he found it unacceptable that Germany was paying billions for Russian gas and planning to build a new pipeline Nord Stream 2, while the United States had to defend it as a NATO ally, spending much more than Berlin on defense.
The gas pipeline project is currently on the agenda of the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Russian energy giant Gazprom and France's Engie, Austria’s OMV AG, UK-Denmark’s Royal Dutch Shell, and Germany's Uniper and Wintershall.
The pipeline will run under the Baltic Sea from the Russian coast to a hub in Germany, and have an annual capacity of 55 billion cubic meters. The pipeline is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2019.
READ MORE: Nord Stream 2 Rival: TAP is Trump's Tool in 'Economic War' With Russia – Journo
