Thursday, December 7, 2023

105 - Boris Johnson: Europe needs to snip the drip feed into our bloodstream from Nord Stream

Was the Nordstream #2 used as an energy weapon?
Angela Merkel said no, it was not.

Before the Ukrainian-Russian counflict started there was a political pressure 
from the UK, USA and several allies to close the Nordstream 2 if Russia enters Ukraine.

As a result the USA and Germany agreed on a deal for the Nordstream 2.
Both Germany and the USA agreed that Nordstream 2 will not be certified
if Russia enters Ukraine. Both countries kept the word.

But the UK wanted more and aimed to reduce ALL Russian energy exports to Europe.


FOR THE UK NOT CERTIFYING THE NORDSTREAM 2 ISN´T ENOUGH, 

THE UK BROADENS TO NORDSTREAM 1, OIL AND OTHER ENERGY EXPORTS


5 Nov 2021 - Stop guzzling Russian gas, Boris Johnson tells Europe

Addressing the governments of Germany, Austria, Italy, France, and other European countries that import large amounts of Russian gas, Mr Johnson said:

"We hope that our friends may recognise that a choice is shortly coming between mainlining ever more Russian hydrocarbons in giant new pipelines and sticking up for Ukraine and championing the cause of peace and stability, let me put it that way."

4 Feb 2022 - PM Johnson: Europe needs to "Remove Nord Stream II from Their veins"

14 Feb 2022 - UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson

...said Europe needs to "snip the drip feed into our bloodstream from Nord Stream". BBC

14 Feb 2022 - UK's Liz Truss: ‘Russians didn’t like what I had to say’

Foreign secretary says she had a 'clear message' to deliver to the Kremlin

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss defended her decision to hold talks in Moscow with foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, insisting she had to deliver a clear message to Russia.

The talks between the Ms Truss and Mr Lavrov last week were tense and ended in an awkward press conference in which the Russian minister appeared to question her understanding of the crisis.

“Of course, the Russians didn’t like what I had to say but I had to deliver a message to Vladimir Putin’s government," she said on Monday.

“I went to Russia to deliver a very clear message, which is that it’s Russia who is the aggressor.

“Of course, the Russians didn’t like what I had to say but I say it nevertheless. And I want them to desist and I want them to be aware that there will be severe costs of an invasion.

Mr Lavrov described the meeting as a “conversation between deaf and dumb”, claiming Ms Truss did not listen to Russia’s position and the UK was unprepared for the talks.

What I think all European countries need to do now is get Nord Stream out of the bloodstream,” Boris Johnson said.

Yank out that hypodermic drip feed of Russian hydrocarbons that is keeping so many European economies going.”

15 Feb 2022 - ‘Lasting security’ in Europe can only be achieved with Russian help, Scholz says

Scholz also said that he was committed to ensuring the transit of gas through Ukraine.

We are committed to ensuring gas transit in Europe works through Ukraine, Belarus, Poland and Nord Stream 1 according to the agreements we have. And we also want to ensure peaceful development in Europe,” Scholz said.

17 Feb 2022 - Russia must pull back, or there will be trouble in the pipeline: article by Liz Truss

It’s vital that the Russian people and the Russian government hear directly from us about the price they would pay for a further invasion.

Not only would there be massive consequences bringing severe economic costs for Russia through an unprecedented package of coordinated sanctions.

It would also hit their other strategic interests including Nord Stream 2 - making it unconscionable for the pipeline to go ahead.

Alongside our allies, we are taking a hard-headed approach, which means being ready to accept short-term pain for long-term gain, whether through imposing sanctions or cutting strategic dependence. 

18 Feb 2022 - G7 leaders agreed this afternoon to work in unity to "maximise the economic price" that Putin will pay.

Johnson says this "must include" ending reliance on Russian oil and gas - hails Germany's suspension of Nord Stream 2.

19 Feb 2022 - Boris Johnson: PM speech at the Munich Security Conference

We must now wean ourselves off dependence on Putin’s oil and gas.

24 Feb 2022 - PM: West must end Russian ‘grip’ on politics by ending dependence on Putin’s oil

Boris Johnson is rallying European leaders to sever the dependence on Russian oil that has given Vladimir Putin a “grip” on Western politics in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Johnson praised Germany’s decision to finally block the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia, which is expected to deliver a major economic blow to Moscow.

He also held talks with Jonas Store, the Prime Minister of Norway, which is one of the world’s biggest oil and gas exporters.

 

THE UK AND RUSSIAN ENERGY EXPORTS - THE PLAN

02 March 2022 - UK gov study "Geopolitical implications of Nord Stream 2

The UK government position - part 4

As Nord Stream 2 is not a UK project, Russian sanctions legislation introduced by the Government on 10 February 2022 does not specifically mention the pipeline. However, the legislation will allow the UK to target the strategic interests of the Russian state more broadly, including the energy sector and specific companies such as Gazprom who owns Nord Stream 2.
 
Implications for Ukraine - Nord Stream 2 has implications for Ukraine. Although not a huge importer of Russian gas, Ukraine is a major transit country of current Russian gas pipelines into Europe. Transit fees are thought to account for almost 3% of Ukraine’s GDP, which will bring an expected revenue of $2-3 billion annually over the next five years.


Gazprom transportation projects to Europe

Two main critics objections


6 March 2022 - UK: PM article on Ukraine: 6 March 2022

Third, we must maximise the economic pressure on Putin’s regime. We must go further on economic sanctions, expelling every Russian bank from SWIFT. We must go after the oligarchs, as the UK is doing – sanctioning over 300 elites and entities including Putin himself and giving our law enforcement agencies unprecedented powers to peel back the façade of dirty Russian money in London. But these measures will be insufficient unless Europe begins to wean itself off the Russian oil and gas that bankrolls Putin’s war machine.

6 March 2022 - The West must show Putin its collective strength: article by Liz Truss

Now is the time to be strong to ensure we see off Putin’s aggression for good. We need to double down in supporting Ukraine so that it prevails over Putin and restores its sovereignty. When a European democracy is standing up to tyranny, we will not hesitate to help it defend itself.

But we must go further to cripple Putin’s war machine through sanctions. I am working with our G7 partners to crack down on more Russian banks and agree a clear timetable to eliminate our imports of Russian oil, gas and coal. I am also encouraging them to join the UK in banning Russian ships from our ports and putting Russian gold beyond Putin’s reach.

We must strengthen NATO’s own defence by reinforcing our presence in the East and ensuring that we have the agility to strike aggressors where they are least expecting it

15 March 2022 - Press release: Foreign Secretary announces historic round of sanctions on Russia

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: "We are going further and faster than ever in hitting those closest to Putin – from major oligarchs, to his Prime Minister, and the propagandists who peddle his lies and disinformation. We are holding them to account for their complicity in Russia’s crimes in Ukraine.... Working closely with our allies, we will keep increasing the pressure on Putin and cut off funding for the Russian war machine"

7 April 2022 - UK updates its energy security strategy

It is crucial we work with international partners to maintain stable energy markets and prices.

This will help protect UK consumers and reduce the use of fossil fuels globally.

Similar to our domestic strategy, we have a dual approach to reduce global reliance on Russian fossil fuels whilst pivoting towards clean, affordable energy.

To reduce global reliance on Russian fossil fuels, the UK is:

committing to phase out the use of Russian oil and coal by the end of 2022, and end imports of Russian liquefied natural gas as soon as possible thereafter.


The US has made similar commitments building international support to reduce Russian energy revenues. Internationally coordinated action, for example, through the G7 and International Energy Agency is key to support stable markets and to help secure the critical minerals we all need to successfully move to clean energy providing a key EU entry point for non-Russian supplies of gas. 

We are examining our infrastructure to ensure gas flows efficiently between the UK, Europe and the global market through our interconnectors and LNG terminals and promote gas infrastructure to be hydrogen-ready

Oil and gas

Low carbon UK gas, and zero Russian imports.
Phase out Russian oil and coal by end 2022
and Russian LNG gas imports as soon as possible thereafter

International delivery - Reducing global reliance on Russian fossil fuels



Supporting allies
 
8 April 2022 - G-7 resists going after $1bn-a-day Russian energy revenue

Before the G-7 gathering, U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that together with allies "we are keeping the pressure up with more sanctions, weapons and ending imports of Russian energy."


THE UK AND GERMAN RUSSIAN ENERGY IMPORTS  - ON THE COLLISION COURSE


8 April 2022 - The Prime Minister welcomed German @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz

...to Downing Street today to discuss how we can accelerate support for Ukraine, toughen sanctions and help European countries wean themselves off Russian energy.

 

9 April 2022 - British PM makes surprise visit to Kyiv, meets Zelenskyy

British Prime Minister’s visit follows UK pledge of more sophisticated military equipment to fight Russia. The Ukraine embassy in the UK tweeted a picture of the two leaders meeting with a one-word caption: “Surprise”.

11 April 2022 - Alternatives to Russian oil: Saudi Arabia, the Gulf and Venezuela?

How important is Russian supply, and which countries could replace it?


 

 

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