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Merkel, Biden Differ on Pipeline, Agree to Limit Russian Clout

  • Biden says he expressed concerns about Nord Stream 2
  • He says they agree Russia shouldn’t use pipeline as threat
Joe Biden, right, and Angela Merkel attend a news conference in the East Room of the White House on July 15. 

Joe Biden, right, and Angela Merkel attend a news conference in the East Room of the White House on July 15. 

Photographer: Alex Edelman/CNP

U.S. President Joe Biden said he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed they wouldn’t allow Russia to use the contentious Nord Stream 2 pipeline to threaten its neighbors amid a push to limit the Kremlin’s geopolitical clout.

But the leaders acknowledged that differences remain over the project, which critics say could burnish Russian leverage and hurt Ukraine by reducing transit fees it collects on gas flowing to Europe.