- ‘I want to be very clear: if Russia invades Ukraine one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward,’ State Dept. spox Ned Price told NPR
- This morning, Germany backed the threat of sanctions on the gas pipeline in the event of an invasion
- The State Department asked 24 Russian diplomats to depart Washington and return home on Tuesday, according to the Russian Embassy
- Embassy tweeted that State Dept request meant ‘our colleagues were forced to leave earlier than their tenure’
- The US is reportedly discussing the deployment of additional troops to countries like Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania but not every NATO member is on board
- Russia warns of ‘retaliatory measures’ if US rejects security demands and continues ‘aggressive’ policies
- ‘If the West continues its aggressive course, Moscow will take the necessary retaliatory measures,’ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday
- US yesterday delivered letter to Kremlin saying there would be no concessions over Russian demands for Ukraine and NATO
- Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said however response contains ‘serious’ offers for a diplomatic path to de-escalate soaring tensions
Joe Biden’s administration has issued a dramatic warning to Vladimir Putin that if he invades Ukraine the key $11bn Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline into Germany will be cancelled.
The Biden administration yesterday warned the Kremlin that it would halt the pipeline using sanctions if there was military action taken against Ukraine.
‘I want to be very clear: if Russia invades Ukraine one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward,’ State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters.
The spokesman refused to go ‘into specifics’, but added: ‘We [The US] will work with Germany to ensure it does not move forward.’
This morning, despite a stall in offering support for the threat overnight, the German government confirmed they backed the US’ call for sanctions.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told the parliament the government was ‘working on a strong package of sanctions’ with Western allies, and it covers several aspects ‘including Nord Stream 2’.
The move is a devastating blow to Germany, the biggest buyer of Russian gas in the world relying on the country for more than 50 per cent of its supply. The country had plowed ahead with the major project despite stiff US opposition.
Markus Krebber, CEO of one of Germany’s largest utilities, RWE AG, warned Germany could feel the freeze this winter as the Russian supply of gas ‘cannot be replaced in the short term’.
But Biden is gambling that fear of the loss of revenue from the giant scheme will be enough to check Putin’s ambitions in Ukraine.