Merkel says Nord Stream 2 not possible without clarity for Ukraine

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a joint a news conference with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, April 10, 2018. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

BERLIN (Reuters) - A gas pipeline planned to run from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea cannot go ahead without clarity on Ukraine's role as a transit route for gas, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday, appearing to harden her stance on the scheme.

The project, Nord Stream 2, would double the existing Nord Stream pipeline's annual capacity of 55 billion cubic metres.