13 Jan 2022 - Germany's foreign minister wants to keep Nord Stream II out of the Ukraine conflict
German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht warns against confusing the disagreement over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline with the conflict over Ukraine.
18 Jan 2022 - Scholz: Germany will discuss Nord Stream 2 penalties if Russia attacks Ukraine
26 Jan 2022 - Ukraine crisis: UK 'not optimistic' Russian invasion can be stopped
UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is in Europe to build momentum for sanctions against Russia and support for Ukraine amid fears of another invasion.
Wallace met the new German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht
One defence source said Mr Wallace hoped to put "some lead in their pencil".
He's still hopeful that the Germans will support tough economic sanctions.
He sees the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, built to supply gas from Russia, as one of the key bargaining chips in any sanctions package. Germany gets around 40% of its gas supplies from Russia.
Under pressure from the US, the UK and Poland the new German government has now agreed to at least consider keeping the taps of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline closed - if President Putin uses military force against Ukraine. Ben Wallace said "Nord Stream 2 is a genuine piece of leverage which we should use for the greater benefit of all allies in Europe".
31 Jan 2022 - Liz Truss: I had a discussion with my colleague Foreign Minister Baerbock
...last week about precisely this issue, and I welcome the statements from her and Chancellor Scholz about Nord Stream 2, in which they were very clear that it will not go ahead in the event of a Russian incursion. We do need to reduce dependence on Russian gas. I welcome the work that the United States is doing to look at how supplies can be augmented, and we are working with partners across the middle east. This is a strategic issue for Europe and we do need to reduce dependence on Russian gas—there is no doubt about it.
I have been very clear about our position on Nord Stream 2. More broadly, we need to reduce dependence on Russian gas. On the discussions taking place in various formats, we cannot have a situation in which Russian aggression is rewarded in any way. It has no auspices over Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, and we are very clear on that. What we are working on, and what tomorrow’s meeting of Foreign Ministers is about, is making sure that we are co-ordinating our positions across NATO, and we are very clear on those red line
22 Feb 2022 - Merkel´s deal reaffirmed
Two days before Russia's invasion, chancellor Olaf Scholz announced he had ordered the economy ministry to withdraw a supply security report, which is an essential element for certification, effectively putting the process on hold. This came as a reaction to Russia's president Vladimir Putin officially recognising two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine.
8 Feb 2022 - If Nord Stream 2 Dies, What Will It Cost Russia? Where Will Europe Get Its Natural Gas?
When President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz appeared at the White House yesterday, they made clear that Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline will be left to die on the political battlefield — if Russia invades Ukraine. But what will that cost Russia, and where would Europe get its natural gas?
Moscow relies on hydrocarbons for 60% of its national budget, while oil and gas make up nearly one-third of its gross national product. It already provides about 39% of Europe’s gas.
“If Russia invades, that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine again, then there will be – there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2,” Biden said during the news conference. “We will bring an end to it … I promise you we will be able to do it.”
Chancellor Scholz followed those remarks by saying that the two NATO allies stand shoulder-to-shoulder: "We're one voice, and do things together and we made it very clear if there was military aggression against Ukraine, this will entail severe consequences that we agreed upon together.”
Nord Stream 2 is a companion to Russia’s Nord Stream 1 pipeline, and it allows Russia’s Gazprom to double its natural gas capacity headed to Europe. Russia exported 168 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Europe in 2020. Germany bought 56 billion cubic meters of that. Italy and the Netherlands followed with 20 billion and 11 billion, respectively.
"If Russia invades, that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine again, there will no longer be a Nord Stream 2,"
Biden said. "We will bring an end to it."
Asked how the U.S. would ensure that, Biden did not offer specifics:
"I promise you: We will be able to do it." It's a point Biden administration officials have stressed in recent weeks.
7 Feb 2022 - Biden pledges end to Nord Stream 2 if Russia invades Ukraine
THE DEAL IS A DEAL AKA PROMISES ARE KEPT:
26 May 2022 - The secret planning that kept the White House a step ahead of Russia
Germany was a reluctant but essential ally, and the Biden administration made a controversial decision last summer that was probably crucial in gaining German support against Russia.
Biden gave Germany a pass on an initial round of sanctions against a company building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in exchange for a pledge from Chancellor Angela Merkel that if Russia invaded, Nord Stream 2 would be scrapped.
When the invasion came,
Merkel was gone but her successor,
Olaf Scholz, kept the promise.
Why would the USA want to physically destroy both
the Nordstream 2 AND Nordstream 1
IF they had a deal which both countries honored?
The UK after Brexit lost all legal ways how to stop the project
Because the truth matters.
Please consider supporting my work with a donation.
Every bit helps keep this mission alive!
No comments:
Post a Comment