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US President Joe Biden has previously threatened to impose severe sanctions against Russia should it make an incursion into Ukraine. Biden issued another warning this week, saying that Russia’s Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would not move forward to completion in the event of a Russian invasion.
Biden met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this week at the White House. During a joint press conference, the US leader said that should Russia invade Ukraine, then Nord Stream 2 would be put to a stop. The gas pipeline is an issue where both the US and Germany find each other on differing sides, as Biden has opposed the pipeline while Germany deems the pipeline as essential in transporting natural gas that the country buys from Russia.
Russia is a leading supplier of crude oil and natural gas in Europe.
“If Russia invades – that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine, again, there will no longer be a Nord Stream 2,” said Biden. “We will bring an end to it.”
When Reuters’ Angela Shalal pressed the US leader on how he planned to do it, as the project and the control of the project are with Germany, Biden maintained that it could be done.
However, Scholz made no mention of the pipeline when he was pressed regarding how Germany plans to respond to Russia in the event of an invasion. Scholz explained that they are ready with the necessary sanctions, noting that he could not disclose anything further. When Shalal asked Scholz if he commits to halting Nord Stream 2, Scholz declined to say, reiterating that NATO and the US are all on a united front.
In other related news, Biden criticized a piece of legislation from the legislature in Florida that would bar discussions of sexual orientation in schools. The US leader’s criticism also follows Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis voicing support for the bill.
“I want every member of the LGBTQI+ community – especially the kids who will be impacted by this hateful bill – to know that you are loved and accepted just as you are. I have your back, and my Administration will continue to fight for the protections and safety you deserve,” tweeted Biden.
