MOSCOW (AP) — U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry has restated the United States' opposition to a new Russia-Germany gas pipeline during talks in Moscow.

Speaking at a meeting with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, Perry said the undersea Nord Stream 2 pipeline would "create a new choke point at a shallow depth vulnerable to disruption." He called on Russia "to stop using its resources for influence and disruption."

Perry added the U.S. supports "the desire of Europeans to minimize their dependence on a single energy supplier."

Eastern European countries and the U.S. oppose the pipeline on the grounds that it would increase European energy dependence on Russia.

Responding to Perry, Novak said Thursday: "I believe we share the view that energy cannot be a tool to exercise pressure and that consumers should be able to choose the suppliers."