Washington has been vehemently opposing the project, with President Trump accusing Germany of being a “captive” of Russia due to its energy reliance and urging it to halt work on the $11 billion pipeline.
Germany needs as many ways to purchase gas as possible, and thus the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline meets the country's interests, Bavaria's Minister President Markus Soder told the newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an interview.
The politician noted that “US interest in their own gas sales in Europe” underlies the threat voiced by US Vice President Mike Pence during the Munich security conference over the purchases of energy resources.
“To pursue your own goals in economics is normal. However, it is unconvincing to link such interests to security issues”, Soder pointed out. “It is difficult to understand the US government when they call German cars a risk to national security, and then sits down at the same table as we do at NATO”, he added.
Soder noted that Germany is interested in all possible options for gas purchases especially after the country ditched peaceful nuclear development and coal. “Can't understand, why the pipeline that comes from Russia via Ukraine, should be safer than a direct pipeline between Russian and Germany”, Bavaria's minister president stated.
He went on to say that it is important to keep up a dialogue with all parties,…