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The controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline will not move forward if Russia invades Ukraine, the chief spokesman for the U.S. State Department said in an interview Wednesday.
Ned Price told NPR that in “one way or another” the pipeline, which was completed in September and runs at the bottom of the Baltic Sea connecting Russia with Germany, will “not move forward.”
“I’m not going to get into the specifics,” he said. “We will work with Germany to ensure it does not move forward.”
US State Department spokesman Ned Price holds a press briefing at the State Department in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2022. (Photo by KEVIN LAMARQUE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) (KEVIN LAMARQUE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Olaf Scholz, the new German chancellor, said last week that Berlin could halt the project if Russia attacks Ukraine, but some observers have pointed out that he appeared noncommittal.
The country’s refusal to join other NATO members in providing weapons to Kyiv has raised concerns among allies. Ukraine criticized Germany, saying that it’s stance on arms supplies does “not correspond to the level of our relations and the current security situation.”
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Scholz insisted that the pipeline is a “business project” – nothing more and nothing less, according to German outlet DW. But within his coalition, he faces opposition from other leaders such as Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock of the Greens, who tried to cut German reliance on Russian oil via the pipeline.
View of pipe systems and shut-off devices at the gas receiving station of the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline. Photo: Stefan Sauer/dpa (Photo by Stefan Sauer/picture alliance via Getty Images) (Photo by Stefan Sauer/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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Republicans and Democrats in the Congress fought Russia’s new Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline to Germany for years, arguing it would help Russia use its control of the gas supply as leverage to achieve its policy aims in Europe.
Rival bills in Congress would sanction the pipeline’s operators — Republicans want to impose the sanctions right away, but Democrats only if Russia invades Ukraine.
The Biden administration previously has held off from that level of sanctions, to avoid getting crossways with ally Germany.
Fox News’ Peter Aitken and the Associated Press contributed to this report
