German defence minister questions use of Nord Stream 2 pipeline

German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has questioned the use of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, a nearly complete conduit to transport Russian natural gas to Europe.

The question is “whether gas will be passed through, how much gas will be passed through,” Kramp-Karrenbauer said at a debate during a visit to Paris. Lawyers were currently working on the issue, she said.

However, she said she saw little chance that the project would be scrapped.

Nord Stream 2 has been one of the main points of contention in Germany-U.S. relations for years.

The U.S. fears that Europe will become too dependent on Russian gas and wants to stop the project with sanctions.

The German government has refused to intervene, arguing that it is a commercial project.

However, Berlin is coming under increasing pressure, with Eastern European states such as Poland and the Baltic countries also rejecting the pipeline.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said at a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe that the gas flowing through Nord Stream 2 is no worse than the gas flowing through Ukraine or Turkey from Russia.

The broader dispute concerned “how far we want to trade with Russia,” she said. Germany had however decided in favour of construction, she added.