Nord Stream 2, a great gas pipeline project to supply gas to Europe from Russia will be scrapped if Russia invades Ukraine, warned US President Biden
\n WASHINGTON
\nUS President Joe Biden made a categorical vow Monday at a meeting with Germany\u2019s Chancellor Olaf Scholz to shut down the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Europe if Moscow launches an invasion of Ukraine.
\nScholz, however, remained more ambiguous, promising only that he was \u201cunited\u201d with Biden.
\nBiden\u2019s declaration was his most blunt so far on the fate of the massive new pipeline, which has been completed, but has yet to begin funneling natural gas to Germany, tying energy hungry Europe ever closer to Russia.
\n\u201cIf Russia invades — that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine, again — then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2,\u201d Biden told a joint White House news conference with Scholz, following bilateral talks in the Oval Office.
\n\u201cI promise you,\u201d Biden said, \u201cwe will bring an end to it.\u201d
\nScholz was much less clear about how far he\u2019s willing to go to punish Russia if an attack is launched by the more than 100,000 troops ordered by President Vladimir Putin to mass on Ukraine\u2019s borders.
\nHe said he and Biden were \u201cabsolutely united\u201d on sanctions against Russia, insisting that \u201cwe will not (be) taking different steps, we will do the same steps and they will be very, very hard to Russia.\u201d
\nHowever, when asked directly by journalists to comment on Nord Stream 2, he repeatedly avoided mentioning the pipeline by name or confirming directly that he would support scrapping the infrastructure.
\nBiden, asked how Nord Stream 2 could be shelved when Germany controls a key part, said: \u201cI promise you, we will be able to do that.\u201d
\nScholz, making his first trip to the White House since taking over from longtime German leader Angela Merkel, has come under criticism from Ukraine and some in the United States over his relatively quieter stand on defending pro-Western Ukraine.
\nAt issue is Germany\u2019s decision not to join the United States and other NATO allies in Europe in sending weapons to help Ukraine\u2019s military and questions over whether Germany is really willing to shelve Nord Stream 2 — a measure being considered as one of the most severe in a list of potential sanctions.
\nHowever, both Biden and Scholz used their press conference to insist that there was no daylight between them.
\n\u201cGermany\u2019s completely reliable — completely, totally, thoroughly reliable. I have no doubt about Germany at all,\u201d Biden said, speaking next to Scholz.
\nAt the Oval Office meeting, Biden said he and Scholz were in \u201clockstep,\u201d while Scholz told reporters earlier \u201cwe are close allies and we act in a coordinated and united way.\u201d
\nWhite House Press Secretary Jen Psaki described Germany as having \u201chuge strategic value to the United States\u201d and said \u201ctoday is an opportunity for the president to build on the relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nord Stream 2, a great gas pipeline project to supply gas to Europe from Russia will be scrapped if Russia invades Ukraine, warned US President Biden WASHINGTON US President Joe Biden made a categorical vow Monday at a meeting with Germany\u2019s Chancellor Olaf Scholz to shut down the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-243390","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n