OREANDA-NEWS. Germany is ready to make its contribution so that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is not used against Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said at a press conference on Wednesday after talks with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

According to him, "in the conversation that we had, the Secretary of State told me very clearly that Washington expects through Nord Stream 2, that we will make our contribution so that the Russian Federation does not abuse the project" in order to exert political pressure to Ukraine". "We are aware of this and will contribute," he said.

The minister recalled that negotiations are currently underway between the United States and Germany on this issue. Berlin is counting on a "swift" result in these negotiations. "I would like to achieve the result very quickly. The visit of the Federal Chancellor to Washington would be the right time (for the end of the negotiations), but this issue cannot be made dependent only on this. We know that due to legislative reasons, the next decision (on the draft) will be in August, so we expect that we will achieve a result acceptable to all by this time, "he added.

Blinken said the US is counting on a "concrete, reliable" outcome of the talks. "Our goal remains to make sure that Russia cannot use energy as a means of coercion, as a weapon against Ukraine or anyone in Europe. I am grateful to Germany for working in this direction," Blinken said.