Washington, Dec 21 (IANS): US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke over the phone with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on the construction of Nord Stream 2 and other issues of mutual concern, said the State Department.

On Friday, Pompeo and his German counterpart discussed the US strong opposition to the continued construction of Nord Stream 2, a twin pipeline stretching 1,230 km from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea, reports Xinhua news agency.

The two sides also talked about the situation in Libya and US-German coordination on a range of global challenges, the statement added.

Washington and Berlin have long been at odds at the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

US lawmakers contend that the pipeline project, which is scheduled to start operation in the middle of 2020, will bolster Russia's geopolitical leverage in Europe.

Despite facing potential sanctions from the US, Moscow and Berlin reaffirmed their commitments to completing the project and putting it into operation.