US, Germany step up gas pipeline warnings if Russia invades Ukraine
- Tensions over Ukraine put future of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany in doubt
- The United States has called for a UN Security Council meeting on Russia’s military build-up
.png?itok=arIb17P0)
The United States and Germany warned Russia that a major gas pipeline was at stake if it invades Ukraine.
A day after the United States and its allies formally responded to security demands issued by Russia, top officials in Moscow said their chief concerns were not addressed but notably did not rule out new talks.
The United States has warned Russia of swift and severe consequences if it invades Ukraine after Moscow amassed tens of thousands of troops on the border with its Western-leaning neighbour.
Following talk of divisions within Europe, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told parliament that her government was “working on a strong package of sanctions” alongside allies that would include Nord Stream 2.
The pipeline, which Germany has defiantly built despite criticism by the United States and Eastern Europeans, will more than double supplies of Russian natural gas to Europe’s largest economy.
In Washington, a top official voiced confidence that an invasion would stop Germany from activating the multibillion-dollar project, which was completed in September but still requires testing and regulatory approval.
02:27
Amid Russian troop build-up in Belarus, Ukrainian soldiers doubt good result in Kremlin-US talks
“If Russia invades Ukraine, one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward,” said Victoria Nuland, the undersecretary of state for political affairs.
“I think the statements coming out of Berlin even today are very, very strong.”
Stepping up the diplomatic offensive, the United States called a public meeting Monday at the UN Security Council on Russia’s “threatening behaviour”, hoping to bring condemnation even though Moscow can veto any resolutions.
How does Ukraine’s military stack up against Russia’s?
Biden also spoke Thursday by telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and said the United States was considering economic support after US$650 million in military assistance over the past year.
Biden “reaffirmed the readiness of the United States along with its allies and partners to respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine,” a White House statement said.
But Biden, in a recognition of the dangers of the moment, repeated his warning that Ukraine could indeed face a Russian invasion next month.
“President Biden said that there is a distinct possibility that the Russians could invade Ukraine in February,” National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said.
Nato has put 8,500 troops on standby over the Ukraine crisis, in scenes reminiscent of the Cold War with the Soviet Union.
China urges US to respect Russia’s concerns in stand-off over Ukraine
Russia denies any plans to invade but last month demanded wide-ranging security guarantees from the West, including that Ukraine never be allowed to join the US-led Nato military alliance.
Washington on Wednesday delivered a reply in coordination with Nato allies, saying Ukraine had the right to determine its own allies but offering Russia talks on missile placements and other mutual concerns.
In a first reaction, the Kremlin was unimpressed but cautious.
“Let’s not rush into assessments; it takes time to analyse.”
What is Nato? Alliance in spotlight in Ukraine-Russia crisis
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow’s chief concern – the potential for Ukraine to join Nato – had been ignored, but that it would be possible to move forward on other issues.
On the streets of Kyiv, there were concerns that Ukraine had been forgotten amid high-level talks between Moscow, Nato and Washington.
“The United States is provoking Russia and Russia is provoking the United States. And somewhere in the middle is Ukraine,” said Dmytro Sylenko, a 23-year-old businessman.
“Honestly, I don’t care who is provoking whom, what matters to me is that there is peace.”
Russia, which has a fraught historical relationship with Ukraine, has fuelled an insurgency in the former Soviet republic’s east that has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014.
Germany mocked over plan to send helmets to Ukraine
That year Russia also seized Crimea after the overthrow of a pro-Russian government in Kyiv.
In a separate bid to defuse tensions, senior Russian and Ukrainian officials held a marathon eight hours of talks Wednesday in Paris and agreed to meet again in two weeks in Berlin.
Zelensky’s office in a statement praised the “constructive nature” of the meeting, which recommitted to a fragile ceasefire in eastern Ukraine between government forces and pro-Moscow separatists.
