Former U.S. president, Donald Trump has described Germany as a “hostage of Russia’’ in comments to “Fox Business’’ on Tuesday.

He was referring to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, poised to deliver Russian gas to Germany via the Baltic Sea, which had strained ties between Berlin and Washington amid the crisis at the Ukrainian border.

“I really tried to convince (Angela Merkel) not to do the pipeline deal because I said that Germany will be absolutely a hostage. And that is what it is, a hostage of Russia,’’ Trump told the broadcaster.

Trump also criticised Merkel’s successor, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, for his behaviour at a joint press conference with U.S. President, Joe Biden, at the White House earlier on Monday.

“If you looked at the leader, the new leader of Germany, he looked at Biden like, you know, what are you talking about? He didn’t even comment on it,’’ the Republican party chief said.

Scholz did not mention Nord Stream 2 during the press conference.

However, he promised that Germany would “act in a completely consensual way on sanctions.’’