Pompeo: U.S. building coalition against Nord Stream 2

The United States is building a coalition against the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in an interview.

"We hope that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline won’t be completed. We’re working to make sure we build out a coalition that prevents that from happening," Pompeo told Bild on Monday.

The United States has opposed the natural gas pipeline since its inception, arguing that it would lead to a European overdependence on Russian gas and thus pose a risk to European security.

Pompeo expressed a desire to see the German government adopt the U.S. position on Nord Stream 2 either because of the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition blogger Alexei Navalny or the “real security implications” of dependence on Russian gas.

However, Pompeo declined to give an opinion on whether Nord Stream 2 would eventually be launched.