Russian pipe-laying vessel Akademik Chersky during work on the final section of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in German waters< strong>WASHINGTON, Feb 22 The US administration is working with Germany to ensure that after Moscow recognizes the independence of the DPR and LPR, the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will not be launched, US President Joe Biden said. Russia's response, we are working with Germany to ensure that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline — as I promised earlier — will not go online,» Biden said in a speech on Ukraine.
The Kremlin commented on Scholz's statement about Nord Stream 2. The owner of the White House added that the Western countries are united in their determination to respond to Russia on its steps towards Ukraine. «We are united in our support for Ukraine. We are united in our opposition to Russian aggression. And we are united in our determination to defend the NATO alliance,» Biden said. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said earlier that he had instructed the country's Ministry of Economy to take the «necessary administrative step» in order to now cancel the Nord Stream 2 certification. We are talking about the withdrawal of the document from the ministry, on the basis of which the Federal Network Agency carried out the certification of the gas pipeline operator. Earlier, the Ministry of Economy of Germany, headed by Angela Merkel's associate Peter Altmaier (CDU), submitted a report to the German regulator — the Federal Grid Agency, which recorded the need for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to meet Germany's energy needs.
The EU agreed on a package of sanctions against RussiaThe Russian Federation has repeatedly stated that the Nord Stream 2 project, which is actively opposed by the United States, which promotes its liquefied natural gas in the EU, as well as Ukraine, which is afraid of losing transit, is commercial, it is beneficial to Europe, and urged to stop mentioning him in the context of any politicization. Moscow also stated that it intends to continue gas transit through Ukraine. The fate of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline was actively discussed in Germany against the backdrop of the situation around Ukraine. A number of German politicians, including German Foreign Minister Annalena Burbock, are calling for the inclusion of Nord Stream 2 in the list of anti-Russian sanctions, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that in the event of an escalation, «nothing is ruled out.» Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday after the meeting of the Security Council addressed to the citizens of the Russian Federation and stated that he considers it necessary to make a decision to immediately recognize the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. He noted that the world prefers not to notice the horror and genocide in the Donbass, not a single day goes by without shelling, the killing of civilians, the blockade does not stop. As the President stated, in case of further bloodshed in the Donbass, the entire responsibility will be on the Kiev regime. Immediately after the address, the president in the Kremlin signed decrees recognizing the LPR and the DPR.
