"I proceed from the assumption that Nord Stream 2 will be completed. The question is when (this will happen)," he said, TASS reported.
Referring to criticism of the project from Washington, Maas said: "We make decisions about our energy policy and energy supply here - in Europe."
On June 4, US Senators submitted to the US Senate a bill to expand sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Germany sharply criticized plans to expand sanctions against the project. Earlier, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters that the US Foreign Office will include Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream in projects falling under the CAATSA (Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions).
The Nord Stream 2 project includes construction of two gas pipeline strings with the total capacity of 55 bln cubic meters per year from Russia to Germany across the Baltic Sea. The gas pipeline is 93% complete to date. The halt in December 2019 was related to the sanctions imposed upon the Switzerland-based Allseas, pipe-laying company.