German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said further sanctions may be imposed on Russia if it uses a controversial gas pipeline against Ukraine.
Mrs Merkel, on her final visit to Kyiv before leaving office, told Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky she understood his concerns over the Nord Stream 2 project.
Mr Zelensky opposes the pipeline, which he says threatens Ukraine's security.
It will run under the Baltic Sea and double Russian gas exports to Germany.
Ukraine fears that the Russian-led Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will tighten Moscow's grip over the region's energy supply and strengthen its influence.
During a joint press conference on Sunday, Mr Zelensky described the project as a "geopolitical weapon of the Kremlin", which he said would be "dangerous for all of Europe".
But Mrs Merkel, who is standing down as Germany's chancellor this autumn after 16 years in office, said Berlin agreed with Washington that Nord Stream 2 should not be used against Ukraine.
She said sanctions could be used against Moscow under an agreement between Germany and the US, if gas was "used as a weapon".
Comentários