US confident Nord Stream 2 ‘will not’ proceed if Russia invades

Pipes for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany are stored at the port of Mukran, in Sassnitz, on the island of Ruegen, Germany, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo)

• German FM Annalena Baerbock told parliament that her government was ‘working on a strong package of sanctions’ alongside allies ‘including Nord Stream 2’ if Russia attacks Ukraine
• Germany pursued the pipeline with Russia, a vital source of gas to Europe’s largest economy, despite concerns that it will reduce Ukraine’s leverage by allowing Moscow to bypass its neighbor

WASHINGTON: The United States is confident Germany will not open the Nord Stream 2 pipeline with Russia if Moscow invades Ukraine, a top US official said Thursday.
“If Russia invades Ukraine, one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward,” Victoria Nuland, the State Department’s number three official, told reporters.
“I think the statements coming out of Berlin even today are very, very strong,” she said.
Asked why the United States was confident, she said that the pipeline still had not been tested or certified by German regulators.
“We will work with Germany to ensure that the pipeline does not move forward,” Nuland said.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told parliament earlier Thursday that her government was “working on a strong package of sanctions” alongside Western allies “including Nord Stream 2” if Russia attacks Ukraine.
Germany controversially pursued the pipeline with Russia, a vital source of gas to Europe’s largest economy, despite concerns that it will reduce Ukraine’s leverage by allowing Moscow to bypass its neighbor.
President Joe Biden drew domestic criticism last year by not imposing sanctions on the operator of Nord Stream, arguing that the pipeline was nearly finished, but his administration instead reached an understanding with Germany to use the project as leverage.
Nuland also said that the United States had asked China — like Russia, a US adversary — to discourage action by Moscow, which has amassed tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine’s borders.
“We are calling on Beijing to use its influence with Moscow to urge diplomacy because if there is a conflict in Ukraine, it is not going to be good for China either,” Nuland said.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke late Wednesday Washington time about the crisis in a phone call with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Russian President Vladimir Putin next month visits Beijing for the Olympics, which the United States is boycotting on the official level due to human rights concerns.