BERLIN, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- The German government lodged a formal complaint regarding alleged interference by U.S. officials in a planned natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.
U.S. Ambassador to Sweden Michael Wood told the English-language Swedish daily The Local that Sweden should take a "hard look" at its involvement in the planned Nord Stream natural gas pipeline.
"Nord Stream bypasses the Baltic states and Poland, potential consumers, and represents a special arrangement between Germany and Russia. The (European Union) should be speaking with a single voice to counteract the power of Russia's energy weapon," Wood said.
The comments prompted German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to express to the U.S. Embassy in Berlin his displeasure with the comments, saying it amounted to American interference in German affairs.
German business newspaper Handelsblatt expressed sentiments to American officials that Wood's statements were considered "highly unusual."
German Chancellor Angela Merkel this week lent her support for the Nord Stream pipeline.
