The undersea pipeline between Russia and Germany has come under fierce criticism from Washington, which believes it will make Europe more dependent on Russian energy supplies.

“The project is a serious obstacle in the way of a new start in transatlantic ties,” the coordinator, Peter Beyer, told the Wirtschaftswoche business journal.

“The Americans don’t just expect a change of rhetoric from our side, but also a change in our actions,” he said.

For this reason, he asked for a halt to the construction of the nearly completed pipeline. More than 90 per cent of the pipeline has already been laid.

So far, the German government has rejected any political intervention in the massive pipeline project, which will bring Russian gas directly to Germany and Europe, bypassing other existing routes.

In recent weeks, the US has increased the pressure on Germany, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying Washington believes it is “a bad idea, bad for Europe, bad for the United States.”

Others say the US opposition to Nord Stream is grounded in its desire to sell more of its own natural gas to Europe.