24 June 2021; MEMO: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that Russia should not use energy as a weapon, Anadolu reports.
On the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, which is set to increase Russian gas supply to Europe, especially Germany, Blinken told reporters he sees the project as a threat to European energy security.
Speaking at a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Berlin, where he came for a Conference on Libya, Blinken said Russia should not use energy as a weapon, adding that the Nord Stream 2 threatens the security of neighboring Ukraine.
Germany has a different perspective on this issue, added Blinken.
He stressed that Germany and the US would continue to stand together against Russia's dangerous and provocative actions on issues such as attacks on Ukraine's territory, imprisoning Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny, and spreading disinformation to Western democracies.
On the conference in Berlin, he said they are working for a stable and secure Libya, explaining: "We have an opportunity that we have not had in recent years to really help Libya move forward as a safe, secure, sovereign country."
