BREST, France, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The fate of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is linked to any potential conflict with Russia over Ukraine, the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday, siding with the United States on the way forward.
"Certainly, the functioning of this infrastructure will also depend on the development of the events in Ukraine and the attitude of Russia," he told reporters after a meeting of European Union defence ministers in Brest.
"You cannot imagine that we are thinking on one side of imposing sanctions (on Russia), just in case - and on the other hand to open infrastructure. It is certainly linked to the military situation in Ukraine, it's obvious."
Should Russia de-escalate, though, the decision on opening the pipeline between Russia and Germany would be in the hands of German and European regulators, Borrell added. (Reporting by Robin Emmott, Sabine Siebold and John Irish)
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