Washington: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz assured a group of US senators the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would not go ahead if Russia invades Ukraine, the top Republican said Tuesday. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters he and a group of colleagues had been given assurances at a dinner with Scholz, who was making his first Washington trip since replacing Angela Merkel. “The good news is he confirmed what President (Joe) Biden said yesterday: that if the invasion occurs, Nord Stream 2 will not go forward.” Scholz was much less clear on Monday about how far he was willing to go to punish Russia if an attack were launched by more than 100,000 troops ordered by President Vladimir Putin to mass on Ukraine’s borders. The chancellor told a joint news conference with Biden that the pair were “absolutely united” on sanctions against Russia, adding that “we will do the same steps and they will be very, very hard to Russia.” But when asked directly to comment on Nord Stream 2, he repeatedly avoided mentioning the pipeline by name or confirming directly that he would support scrapping the infrastructure. Biden, on the other hand, made an unequivocal vow to shut it down if Moscow launched an invasion of pro-Western Ukraine. Germany has defiantly pursued Nord Stream 2 despite criticism from the United States and Eastern Europe. It was completed last year but still requires regulatory approval. The pipeline, set to double natural gas supplies from Russia to Germany, has become a key bargaining chip for the West in its bid to stop Moscow from invading Ukraine.