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The Biden administration on Tuesday praised Germany’s move to halt the controversial Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline that runs from Russia to Europe amid escalating tensions over Ukraine.
Psaki said that President Joe Biden “made clear that if Russia invaded Ukraine, we would act with Germany to ensure Nord Stream 2 does not move forward.”
“We have been in close consultations with Germany overnight and welcome their announcement,” Psaki tweeted on Tuesday. “We will be following up with our own measures today.”
Biden is expected to issue additional sanctions against Russia during remarks Tuesday afternoon.
The pipeline has been under previous fire from the U.S. government, which argues that the project would lead to Europe becoming too dependent on Russia for its energy needs. Nevertheless, the Biden administration last year waived sanctions against the company behind the pipeline as a way to soothe strained relations with Germany and other European allies.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had previously stopped short of committing to suspend the project as tensions over Ukraine heightened, but on Tuesday he asked his country’s economy ministry to withdraw a document needed for the pipeline’s certification, halting the approval process. The pipeline, which is fully built, was expected to come online later this year.
“There has been a dramatic change in the situation, and we must now reassess,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted. “I have asked our Economic Affairs Ministry to conduct a new analysis of the security of the energy supply. Under the present circumstances, certification is not possible.”
The step comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and ordered armed forces to the areas – a move widely feared to be a precursor to an invasion.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, warned that action against the pipeline would result in higher natural gas prices for Europeans.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said that Russia regretted Germany’s decision “because we’ve been reiterating this project has nothing to do with politics,” noting that it is a ”purely economical, commercial project which, on top of mutual benefit, is meant to be a stabilizing factor for the European gas market.”