US Energy Sec. Reiterates Opposition to Nord Stream 2, 'Hostage by State Actors'

"The US remains opposed to Nord Stream 2 and any energy source that can be held hostage by unstable state actors," Perry wrote on Twitter.

He also thanked Poroshenko for his desire to diversify energy sources, adding that Washington was always ready to support its allies in the form of "a large amount of available energy."

On November 12, Poroshenko and Perry discussed possible deliveries of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States and the use of US technology to develop oil and gas reserves in Ukraine.

Washington Has Means to Stop Nord Stream 2 Project

The United States has instruments to slow down or even stop the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland noted.

"We have not yet used all the instruments that could seriously undermine or stop [the Nord Stream 2 project] … [US] President [Donald Trump] has many, many other instruments available to try to stop the project," Sondland said as quoted by the Insider News media outlet.

The United States, seeking to promote its liquefied natural gas in the European market, has made a number of attempts to impede the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project and even incorporated a provision for counteracting the construction of the pipeline in its Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.

READ MORE: EU Market to Obtain Less US Gas If Nord Stream-2 Completed — Energy Expert

Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Russia’s gas giant Gazprom and five European companies. It aims to deliver 55 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas annually to the European Union across the Baltic Sea to Germany and is expected to be put into operation by the end of 2019. The pipeline project has been welcomed by some countries in Europe and opposed by others, fearing that it might increase their dependence on Russian gas.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has repeatedly stated that Berlin sees the Nord Stream 2 as a commercial project, but at the same time linked its implementation to a continuation of the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine. The Russian side has also repeatedly stated that the Nord Stream 2 project was completely commercial and competitive, and indicated that it does not imply the termination of the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine to the European Union.