US President Joe Biden reiterated on Monday that Washington will not allow the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to come online if Russia “invades” Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed that Berlin and Washington are united in a package of possible sanctions against Moscow, without specifically mentioning the gas pipeline.
“If Russia invades, that is, if tanks and troops cross the border with Ukraine again, there will be no more Nord Stream 2 ,” said the US president at a press conference after his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House. . “We will put an end to it,” he added.
Responding to a reporter’s question about how the US would get it done, if the project depends on German authorities, Biden said: “I promise we can do it.”
In addition, he assured that the US is prepared to cover a significant part of the natural gas needs of European countries if the supply from Russia is suspended. He added that his administration is studying how to achieve this and is also in talks with foreign partners.
For his part, Scholz, who did not speak specifically about the gas pipeline, stressed that Berlin and Washington are united in a package of possible sanctions against Moscow and in the event of a Russian military aggression against the neighboring country they will take “severe far-reaching measures “. “We will be united. We will act together,” he said. ” We will take all necessary measures, and we will do it together ,” he added.
Asked how Berlin would replace Russian gas, Scholz said his country is moving away from fossil fuels to fight climate change and is focusing “on renewable energy” . “This year we will continue to make far-reaching decisions that will help us use more offshore and onshore wind power, solar power,” he explained. “We will make sure this is the profitable future,” he concluded.
The Nord Stream 2 has the capacity to transport 55,000 million cubic meters of gas per year and is the longest gas pipeline that passes under the sea in the world, with 1,234 kilometers in length.
Claims about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine have been intensifying in the West since last November, when several media outlets aired alleged plans to carry out such an operation. For its part, Moscow rejects these accusations and assures that the Atlantic Alliance is militarizing its neighboring country .