Germany and the United States have said they would tamper with a key Russian gas pipeline if the country invades Ukraine.
According to a US State Department Spokesman, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline “will not move forward” if Russia attacks.
The controversial energy project is designed to double gas flow, running from Russia directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
Tens of thousands of Russian troops have amassed on Ukraine’s borders in recent weeks, prompting fears of an invasion – despite repeated Russia’s denial of any plans to attack.
On Wednesday, January 26, 2022, the US rejected Russia’s key demand to stop Ukraine from joining the NATO military alliance, while offering Moscow a “serious diplomatic path forward”.
President Vladimir Putin is currently assessing the proposals, his spokesman said on Thursday, January 27, 2022.
Nord Stream 2 in focus
The Nord Stream 2 is a 1,225km (760-mile) pipeline, which took five years to build, costing some $11bn (£8bn), but not yet in operation, as regulators said in November 2021, that it does not comply with German law, thereby suspending its approval.
In an interview with the media, US State Department Spokesman, Ned Price, said his country would work with Germany to ensure the project doesn’t go through should Russia invade Ukraine.
“I want to be very clear: if Russia invades Ukraine one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward,” he said, but added that he was “not going to get into the specifics” of how it would be stopped.
Germany’s Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, later told the German parliament that Western allies are “working on a strong package of sanctions” covering aspects “including Nord Stream 2”, promising serious consequences for Russia if it attacks.
It came after the German Ambassador to the US, Emily Haber tweeted that “nothing will be off the table, including Nord Stream 2” if Russia violates “Ukraine’s sovereignty”.
Major European businesses have invested heavily in Nord Stream 2, which is run by Former German Chancellor, Gerhard Schröder.
Currently, the German government believes that “natural gas will continue to make a significant contribution to energy supply in Germany over the coming decades”, saying it is “more climate-friendly compared to other fossil fuels”.
But many groups have objected to Nord Stream 2. Environmentalists question how it will fit in with German efforts to cut emissions and tackle man-made climate change. While politicians at home and abroad fear it could increase Europe’s dependence on Russian energy, roughly half the EU’s gas currently comes from Russia.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky previously described the pipeline as a “dangerous geopolitical weapon”.
His country is currently facing some 100,000 Russian troops stationed on its borders, with growing fears that President Putin, plans to launch an assault.
Diplomatic moves
Russia earlier issued a written list of its concerns about the expansion of NATO and related security issues. Among them was a demand for NATO to rule out the possibility of Ukraine and others ever joining the alliance.
On Wednesday, January 26, 2022, the US and NATO gave Russia a formal response to its demands to resolve the Ukraine crisis. It will not be made public, but US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken said the document made their “core principles” clear, including Ukraine’s sovereignty and its right to choose to be part of security alliances such as NATO, at their own will.
Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov said the formal response does not address Russia’s “main concern” about the alliance’s expansion. But he did say that it “gives hope for the start of a serious conversation” on secondary questions, adding that President Putin will decide how to respond.
The president’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov on the other hand, told reporters that Russia would not “rush into assessments”, saying it would take “time to analyse” the response.
Separately, diplomats from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany reaffirmed a commitment to the long-standing ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, which had seen Russia-backed rebels seize territory in the eastern Donbas region.
All four nations continue to support the ceasefire “regardless of differences on other issues” related to the 2015 Minsk agreements, according to a statement published by the French presidency.
The 2015 Minsk agreement is a package of measures put in place to stop fighting in the Donbas. This agreement was made on February 12, 2015.
The Kremlin’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Dmitri Kozak, characterised the eight-hour talks in Paris as “not simple”, and the group is due to meet again in two weeks in Berlin.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba told reporters on Thursday, January 27, 2022, that the Russian decision to come to talks in Berlin was “good news”, as it means that “Russia for the next two weeks is likely to remain on the diplomatic track”.
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