Chris Lange, FISM News
President Biden says the U.S. will block the controversial Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline if Russia further invades Ukraine.
Biden made the surprising announcement at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House Monday after the two met to discuss options to avert a war in Europe. Biden described the meeting – which marked Scholz’s first visit to Washington – as “very productive.”
Both leaders said they spent a significant amount of time discussing the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, where Russia has positioned around 100,000 troops and military hardware at the border, adding to the number almost daily. Both Biden and Scholz reaffirmed their desire to pursue diplomacy to prevent an incursion.
“If Russia makes a choice to further invade Ukraine, we are jointly ready, and all of NATO is ready,” Biden told reporters, adding that the U.S., Germany, and their allies are prepared to “impose swift and severe consequences if Russia violates Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The President later added that the U.S. is prepared to block the controversial Russia-to-Germany Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline “if Russia further invades,” adding, “that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine again.”
Neither of the two leaders elaborated on the announcement, prompting challenges by some reporters, one of whom asked Biden how Washington could accomplish such a feat since the project is controlled by Germany.
“I promise you, we will be able to do it,” The President responded cryptically.
Scholz was further pressed for details. “It is part of this process that we do not spell out everything in public because Russia could understand that there might be even more to come,” the Chancellor said, adding that Western Allies are united in their stance against Russian aggression. “I want to be absolutely clear: We have intensively prepared everything to be ready with necessary sanctions if there is military action against Ukraine,” he continued.
Germany has raised eyebrows among NATO partners and allies in recent weeks for its milquetoast response to Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine, including its refusal to allow Estonia, a NATO member and ally of Ukraine, to supply German-made weapons to Ukraine and preventing British cargo planes from using its airspace to deliver military hardware to Kyiv. Germany’s evident reluctance to take forceful measures has fueled doubts about its reliability as an ally and prompted concerns the country could be used as a Russian pawn to stymie a united European response to an invasion. Germany, like many other European countries, relies heavily on Russian fuel production.
Scholz later sidestepped a question as to whether he was prepared to “commit today” to halting Nord Stream 2. “As I’ve already said, we are acting together, we are absolutely united, and we will not be taking different steps,” he said, adding, “We will do the same steps, and they will be very, very hard to Russia, and they should understand.”
Russia continues to deny planning an attack or invasion of Ukraine but says it could take unspecified military action if its security demands are not met, including a promise from NATO never to admit Ukraine.