Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday he discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia and Moscow’s plan to expand its Nord Stream gas pipeline to Germany, which has irked Washington, in talks with U.S. Treasury and Energy Secretaries.  Russia is one of the world’s biggest crude oil and natural gas producers, and the United States has been urging global energy producers to boost output to stem an increase in prices. “We met. We discussed energy issues, among other things. We touched upon questions related to sanctions,” Novak said of his meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin at a press briefing in Washington. “We can’t sidestep these difficult questions, so of course we touched upon them during our contact.” Novak said other […]