(Adds Macron quote)
PARIS, Aug 28 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron
said on Friday that he had expressed reservations to German
Chancellor Angela Merkel about the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline
under the Baltic Sea because it increased Europe's reliance on
Russian gas supplies.
The pipeline, aimed at bypassing Ukraine, could be launched
by the end of 2020 or early next year, Russian President
Vladimir Putin has said.
Within Europe, Germany stands to benefit from relatively
affordable supply deals.
"I don't think the approach that we ought to have with
Russia be one of naivity nor do I think it should be nourished
by an increase in our dependence on Russia. This has always
fuelled my reservations about the Nord Stream 2 project. The
chancellor knows it," he told reporters.
(Reporting by Michel Rose and Elizabeth Pineau
Writing by John Irish
Editing by Frances Kerry)