Germany cannot rule out Nord Stream 2 as means of pressure, says foreign policy expert

FILE PHOTO: The logo of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project is seen on a large-diameter pipe at the Chelyabinsk Pipe Rolling Plant owned by ChelPipe Group in Chelyabinsk, Russia, February 26, 2020. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany cannot rule out using the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as a means of pressure against the Kremlin in case of further Russian aggression towards Ukraine, a senior official from the party that leads Germany's coalition government told broadcaster ARD on Tuesday.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who also represents the Social Democratic Party (SPD), has repeatedly said Nord Stream 2 was a purely private sector enterprise and out of the state's regulatory reach.