US Threatens Shutting Russian Pipeline
By Stefan J. Bos Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – U.S. President Joe Biden vowed to shut down a key Russian natural gas pipeline to Germany if Moscow invades Ukraine, despite Berlin not yet publicly agreeing to obey.
After talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington, Biden said Washington would “bring an end” to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
But Germany stopped short of explicitly promising to halt the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 project, which would bring Russian natural gas to energy-hungry European consumers.
On Monday, Scholz said only that his country was “absolutely united” with the United States and other NATO allies, “and we will not be taking different steps.”
Biden, in contrast, told reporters at the White House that “if Russia invades, that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine again, there will be no longer Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.”
Asked how he could be sure since it would be officials in Berlin, not Washington, who would make the decision, Biden told a journalist: “I promise you, we’ll be able to do it.”
Biden’s meeting with Scholz came while Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron spoke five hours in Moscow as part of efforts to overcome Europe’s most significant security threat in decades.
Macron expressed hope that war could be avoided but cautioned that the coming days would be crucial in the Ukraine standoff after “some progress” made in the talks.
Yet there remain Western fears of a Russian invasion, though Moscow insists it has “no intention” to attack its neighbor. Russia currently has nearly 130,000 troops massed on Ukraine’s borders, according to U.S. and Ukrainian officials.
There have been protests against the standoff. Over the weekend, thousands rallied in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city near the Russian border, to “stop Russian aggression.”
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