The evaluation process in Germany was halted in mid-November after the regulator decided that Russian energy company Gazprom PJSC will need to restructure its Nord Stream 2 operations to comply with European Union laws.Ĭritics of the pipeline, which include several EU members, have long argued against the project, claiming it makes Europe too dependent on Russian gas. The newly completed pipeline under the Baltic Sea can’t start without approval from the German regulator and a review by European authorities. Germany’s Greens have in the past demanded an end to the project. Incoming Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck from the Greens, however, made clear that the review process of the project might be affected by developments in Ukraine. Scholz’s Social Democrats, like Merkel, support the pipeline project as a whole. But he avoided a clear answer to the question on whether his government would stop Nord Stream 2 if Putin invaded Ukraine. His government will continue to make sure Ukraine remains a gas transit country, Scholz told reporters. At a press conference on Tuesday, incoming Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the situation at the Ukraine border “serious” and said his government would watch developments there very carefully. It’s unclear how the new coalition government in Berlin sees things. A State Department spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. A National Security Council spokesperson directed queries to the German government and referred to earlier statements related to U.S. While the Biden administration can’t stop the project outright, it can impose more sanctions on people and entities involved in it. The geopolitical concerns that underpinned that deal are real now, the person said. A senior European intelligence official said the conditions in the July agreement would be met in the event of an invasion. In exchange, Biden backed off imposing new measures on German entities connected to the project’s construction.Īction by Berlin against Nord Stream 2 would mean a real threat for the project.
The deal also provided assurances to Ukraine and its status as a transit country for other pipelines. and Germany, with the administration of Chancellor Angela Merkel unwilling to use it as a political tool with Putin.Īs part of an agreement signed with Biden in July, Merkel’s government committed to taking action if Russia deploys energy as a weapon or acts aggressively toward Ukraine. The long-running pipeline project has been a periodic source of tension between the U.S. Nord Stream 2 is important both for Putin, as a route to sell more gas into Europe, and for Germany, which relies on supplies from Russia. The aim is to agree on a package that is comprehensive, quick to implement and economically painful enough that it serves as a true deterrent. Other possible options under discussion include sanctions on Russian banks and exports of the country’s commodities. Putin has denied his intention is to start a war. and NATO fret about the possibility of an invasion in the early part of next year. That’s as he again masses troops near the Ukrainian border and the U.S. and European allies as providing potential leverage with the Russian leader.
President Joe Biden’s administration is seeking a commitment from the new German government that it would halt the project under such circumstances, one of the people said, asking not to be identified talking about confidential discussions.Īs Biden holds a high-stakes video call with Putin, the pipeline is one of the measures being discussed by the U.S.
will push Germany to agree to stop the contested Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline if Russian President Vladimir Putin invades Ukraine, according to documents seen by Bloomberg and people familiar with the plans.