Some people are still wondering why Germany and the United States are trying to settle a dispute over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, especially given the fact that the latter does not participate in this project. Firstly, being the world's sole superpower, the United States can be interested in any significant global projects. Secondly, this is sort of a mechanism for doing business in the civilized world.

The White House intends to ensure that a seemingly commercial project does not become another instrument of Russia’s political pressure on Europe. That is why the US State Department pays special attention to Nord Stream 2.

“Now Germany has come to the table and we are actively engaged with them to look at what can and should, and I believe, must be done to <...> make sure that the transit fees that Ukraine, at some point in the future, may lose as a result of this pipeline being able to go around Ukraine, that they're made whole, that the ability of Russia to use gas as a coercive tool or weapon against Ukraine or anyone else is eliminated and there are ways to do that, and that we have agreements in place upfront to come back on any activities by Russia that are challenging the economic security of any of these countries that we will in advance agree that we are going to take action against them,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said.

Joe Biden's administration decided to focus on diplomacy and negotiations instead of imposing further sanctions against Germany, one of its closest allies, which had invested huge sums of money in the project.