The United States (US) and Germany have agreed to axe Russia’s ambitious Nord Stream 2 underwater gas pipeline that connects Moscow with Western Europe if Russia invades Ukraine.
On Thursday, the US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, “I want to be very clear: if Russia invades Ukraine one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward,” adding, “I’m not going to get into the specifics. We will work with Germany to ensure it does not move forward.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock echoed similar sentiments. While addressing the members of the German Parliament, Baerbock said, “In the case of a new act of aggression, we have a broad bandwidth of responses at our disposal, including Nord Stream 2.” However, Baerbock also said she would rather prefer continued dialogue with Moscow.
On Thursday, Germany’s ambassador to Washington, Emily Haber, confirmed Germany’s strict stance towards Russia via a tweet: “The US and Germany jointly declared last summer: if Russia uses energy as a weapon or if there is another violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, Russia will have to pay a high price.”
The US and Germany jointly declared last summer: if Russia uses energy as a weapon or if there is another violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, Russia will have to pay a high price.@OlafScholz and @ABaerbock stated clearly: nothing will be off the table, including Nord Stream 2.
— Emily Haber (@GermanAmbUSA) January 26, 2022
US President Joe Biden also spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday and assured him of more support amid heightened tensions with Russia.
Threats to shut down Nord Stream 2 follows after the US rejected Russia’s demand of barring Ukraine from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and restrict the Alliance’s eastward expansion. On Wednesday, the US delivered its decision through a formal response to Russia’s previously-stated security demands. According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin is assessing the US response.
Commenting on the US’ response, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the document does not address Russia’s concerns over NATO’s eastward expansion. However, it gives hope for a serious conversation.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, CEO of Ukraine’s Naftogaz, Yuriy Vitrenko, told CNN that the new German government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz would have to choose between standing with the free world or collaborating with Putin. It is believed that if Nord Stream 2 becomes operational, Russia will stop transiting gas from Ukraine that had earlier served as an insurance policy against Russia’s militaristic advances on Ukrainian soil.
“They are using gas as a weapon as we speak"
— Julia Chatterley (@jchatterleyCNN) January 26, 2022
Says @VitrenkoYuriy CEO of Ukraine's largest energy firm @NaftogazUkraine
“#Putin's plan was to build #NordStream2, move all the transit flows from #Ukraine to Nord Stream 2, then it'll be easier for Russia to further invade Ukraine" pic.twitter.com/H2wHfPGjWe
Nord Stream 2 is a 1,225 km underwater pipeline worth $11 billion that connects Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea and bypasses Ukraine and other eastern European countries; it aims to double Moscow’s gas exports to Germany. Although the pipeline’s construction was completed in September, it awaits approval from Berlin and Brussels. German energy regulator in November temporarily suspended the certification of Nord Stream 2 due to non-compliance with German laws.
The construction of Nord Stream 2 had been highly contentious, with the US, Ukraine and Poland opposing it. While the US fears Europe’s increased dependence on Russia for energy, Ukraine and Poland are concerned over Russia using energy as a geopolitical weapon against the bloc and losing valuable transit fees worth billions.
Russia amassing 175,000 troops and weapons near its Ukrainian border has further politicised the pipeline. The West is worried about another Russian invasion of Ukraine to prevent the former Soviet country from joining NATO. However, Russia has denied any plans to invade Ukraine.