[ad_1]
President Joe Biden said on Monday “there will be no more Nord Stream 2,” a key Russian pipeline that would connect Russia with Europe if Russia further invaded Ukraine with “tanks or troops.”
President Biden made the remarks during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House shortly after the two leaders met to discuss the crisis on the Ukraine-Russia border. Germany, which uses Russian natural gas to cover half of its needs, has postponed approval of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project until at least the second half of 2022, but has refused to cancel the project, which is almost complete.
The White House has sounded the alarm over the prospect of a military conflict in Ukraine. Mr Biden is trying to strengthen support among European allies for tough sanctions on Russia if it steps in for a further invasion of Ukraine. International efforts to ease tensions over Ukraine intensified on Monday, with French President Emmanuel Macron holding talks with his Russian counterpart in Moscow and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington to coordinate policies toward Russia as fears grow. a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The gathering of over 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine has sparked concerns among Western leaders about a possible offensive. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine “at any moment,” causing a conflict that would come at a “huge human cost.” Russia has denied plans to attack its neighbor, but urges the United States and its allies to never accept Ukraine and other former Soviet countries joining NATO, as well as withdrawing NATO forces. and weapons from Eastern Europe. Washington and NATO have rejected these demands.
“If Russia invades, so if (Russian) tanks and troops were to cross the Ukrainian border again, then there would be no Nord Stream 2,” Biden said. “We will end this project.” This would hurt Russia economically, but it would also cause natural gas supply problems for Germany. Construction of the pipeline has been completed, but it has not yet started work.
“We are ready together and the whole of NATO is ready,” Biden said, referring to the strong Western alliance, although Ukraine is not a member. While Biden confidently reiterated that Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline would be shut down, Chancellor Scholz stressed the need to maintain some uncertainty about sanctions so that Russia has a way to take action to reduce tensions. “Russia needs to realize that it can face far more consequences than it could have expected,” Scholz said.
Speaking at the start of his meeting with Chancellor Scholz, US President Joe Biden said the United States and Germany were “working with one step to prevent further Russian aggression in Europe”. Chancellor Scholz added: “We are the closest allies and we are working intensively together, and this is the right step to take to take the necessary steps to combat Russian aggression against Ukraine.”
Mr Scholz told reporters that “we can not be silent” on the issue of Russia, adding that the deployment of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine is a “serious threat” to European security. Chancellor Scholz reiterated that “there will be very, very high costs” for Russia if it attacks Ukraine.
“Germany is one of America’s closest allies,” President Biden said earlier Monday in a meeting with German Chancellor Scholz at the Oval Office. “We are working together to stop Russian aggression in Europe, to address the challenges posed by China, and to promote stability in the Western Balkans,” he said.
top channel
[ad_2]
Source link
