He has also long been finding things to pick at about the Nord Stream 2 project, which is designed to transport natural gas from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.
Although German ministers have refrained from radical responses to Grenell, parliament members have often openly denounced his remarks, and some lawmakers even asked foreign ministry to declare him as "persona non grata" -- an unwelcome or unacceptable person in diplomacy.
--IANS sdr/