Blinken says up to Nord Stream 2 builders whether to finish pipeline

WASHINGTON- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that it was ultimately up to those building the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline whether to complete it despite opposition from Washington.

Asked if there is anything the U.S. government could do to stop the pipeline from Russia to Germany, Blinken told CNN: "Well, ultimately that is up to those who are trying to build the pipeline and complete it.

We just wanted to make sure that our position, our opposition to the pipeline, was well understood."

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Michael Martina Editing by Paul Simao) ((arshad.mohammed@thomsonreuters.com; +1 202 898 8300; Reuters Messaging: arshad.mohammed.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))