Germany wobbles on Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

Support within German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition for the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline is slipping as frustration with the Kremlin’s brinkmanship grows and pressure from US President Donald Trump starts to bite, reports Patrick Donahue for Bloomberg. The shift could translate into pressure on the German government to back down on the controversial pipeline and possibly delay its implementation, according to Donahue. 
The US Ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, told the business daily Handelsblatt that companies working on the project “are always in danger because sanctions are always possible.” He also said he was sure that the companies involved would pull out of the project, of their own accord, when confronted with the threat of sanctions, report Moritz Koch, Torsten Riecke, and Klaus Stratmann.
Currently under construction, Nord Stream 2 would allow Russian gas to flow directly to Germany. It  is scheduled for completion in late 2019. Proponents argue the pipeline is a commercial investment key to Europe's supply security, while opponents criticise Nord Stream 2 on environmental, geopolitical, and security grounds.