Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Tuesday that Germany was very clear Russia would face harsh consequences if it invades Ukraine, but he would not say whether the newly built Nord Stream 2 pipeline would be halted.
U.S. President Joe Biden warned on Monday that if Russia invades, "there will be no longer Nord Stream 2", referring to the as yet unopened gas pipeline to Germany. He did not specify how he would halt it, but stressed unity with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz as the West rallies to avert a war in Europe.
Scholz said the United States and Germany had the same approach to Ukraine, Russia and sanctions, but did not directly confirm plans for Nord Stream 2 or mention the pipeline publicly by name over the course of his day-long Washington visit.
Lindner, speaking at an online conference hosted by Deutsche Bank, said he would not speculate about specific sanctions measures against Russia. "We are very clear that damaging the territorial integrity (of Ukraine) would have severe consequences", he said.
(Reporting by Tom Sims and Frank Siebelt; Editing by Alison Williams and Mark Heinrich)
