The US indicates it is approaching an alliance with Germany on Nord Stream 2

The US has announced that it is close to an agreement with Germany to resolve a long-running dispute over the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, including a promise to punish Moscow if it uses force as a weapon against its neighbors.

A possible agreement comes after a double meeting last week at the White House between US President Joe Biden and German chancellor Angela Merkel.

“The Germans have offered a number of practical suggestions, and we have made great strides in achieving that goal, and in this regard, we are also ensuring that Russia does not use renewable energy,” Ned Price, a department spokesman, said in a statement on Tuesday.

“We don’t have anything final to announce but I hope we can say it soon,” he added.

The Nord Stream pipeline connecting Russia and Germany has been a problem between Washington and Berlin. U.S. officials consider it Vladimir Putin’s political career keeping Europe dependent on Russia’s power while endangering the security of Central and Eastern European countries such as Poland and Ukraine.

According to a possible deal between Biden’s management and the German government, which was the first Reuters report, Berlin threatened to impose sanctions on Russia if Moscow’s electricity cuts could jeopardize US allies in the region. U.S. officials have been in talks with Warsaw and Kyiv during talks with Germany.

Ukraine is still “strongly opposed” to the pipeline, according to a man close to Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine. Biden officials have made it clear that anyone who opposes their alliance with Germany could undermine US-Ukraine relations, “the man said.

The possible alliance with Germany comes as Biden tries to link transatlantic four years into the reign of Donald Trump, who had been at loggerheads with major European heads.

Biden’s move earlier this year to impose new sanctions on Russia linked to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline – while imposing sanctions against a European pipeline operator – opened the door to final negotiations.

Biden has stated that he still does not agree with Merkel over the pipeline requirements, but her supervisors had to admit that she had already completed the entire term of office in January.

“It was logical to work with the chancellor to find out how he could proceed in the face of Russia’s attempts to destabilize Ukraine in some way,” Biden said last week.

Additional reports of Roman Olearchyk