On Sunday, Germany said that it was working closely with the US on a joint declaration regarding the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
A deal is necessary as the US and several EU countries are opposing the pipeline running under the Baltic Sea and carrying gas from Russia to Germany. The US has even imposed further sanctions targeting Russia-linked Transadria Ltd and its vessel last week after waiving sanctions on the pipeline operator and making a deal with Germany in July.
Germany is among some European countries finding the link vital to secure energy supplies. However, it has also agreed to take action if Russia uses energy as a weapon in its relations with Ukraine even when the deal does not provide specific criteria for how that would be judged.
