Biden promises to block Nord Stream 2 if Russia attacks Ukraine. Photo: Twitter/POTUS
U.S. President Joe Biden stated he would not allow Nord Stream 2 to launch if Russia resorted to a new invasion of Ukrainian territory. He promised that Washington "is able to do it" despite the fact that the project is under German control. The corresponding statement was made after the talks between the American leader and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, CNBC reports.
However, the German official did not give a clear answer to the question of blocking Nord Stream 2.
"We have intensively prepared everything to be ready with the necessary sanctions if there is a military aggression against Ukraine," he said, without mentioning Nord Stream. "It is part of the process that we do not spell out everything in public, because Russia should understand that there might be even more (measures—The Page) to come," he said.
Context. The divergence of views of the United States and Germany on the Nord Stream 2 issue reflect the varying degrees of the countries’ dependence on energy carriers. Germany regards the gas pipeline as an important gas delivery system that the state is already buying from the Russian Federation.
Different views on the situation are probably one of the reasons why NATO allies have so far failed to agree on the severity of the sanctions that would be imposed on Moscow in case of a new attack on Ukraine.