Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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Pompeo Departs for Germany to Boost Transatlantic Ties

Nike Ching

   WASHINGTON - The United States is warning a key European ally on
   growing threats from Russia, as Germany gears up to mark the 30th
   anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

   Secretary of State Mike Pompeo departed for Germany early Wednesday,
   for a trip marking three decades since the demolition of the wall and
   to underscore what U.S. officials say is the need for continuing a
   strengthened transatlantic partnership.

   The top U.S. diplomat's meetings with leaders in Germany also come days
   after Denmark cleared one of the last legal hurdles to a proposed
   natural gas pipeline connecting Russia and Germany, known as Nord
   Stream 2.
   A senior State Department official said the U.S. is concerned about the
   "energy security" for European partners, calling Nord Stream 2
   "primarily a political tool" of Russia and "not a purely commercial
   project."

   "Our concerns have been regularly expressed. We see this as a tool
   through which Russia seeks to use energy to advance Russia's
   geopolitical agenda," the official told VOA on Tuesday during a
   background briefing.

   That official added Nord Stream 2 "jeopardizes" the priority of energy
   security by "making European countries and our allies more reliant on
   single country sources of energy."

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