WASHINGTON, July 21 (Xinhua) – The United States and Germany on Wednesday
announced an agreement on the issue of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project,
an effort to reduce the risk that the contentious project could pose to
Ukraine.
The 1,230-km gas pipeline, expected to be completed next month, would bring 55
billion cubic meters of gas annually from Russia to Germany through the Baltic
Sea.
A senior State Department official told reporters in a phone briefing that
Washington and Berlin had profound differences over the Nord Stream 2, while
the allies agreeing on measures to reduce the risk that the project would pose
to European energy security and Ukraine.
“Should Russia attempt to use energy as a weapon or commit further aggressive
acts against Ukraine, Germany will take action at the national level and press
for effective measures at the European level, including sanctions, to limit
Russian export capabilities to Europe in the energy sector, including gas,”
according to a U.S.-Germany joint statement.
Both countries acknowledged that gas transit via Ukraine to continue beyond
2024 serves the interests of Ukraine and Europe, said the statement. “Germany
commits to utilize all available leverage to facilitate an extension of up to
10 years to Ukraine’s gas transit agreement with Russia.”
Under their agreement, Germany and the United States will also promote at
least 1 billion U.S. dollars investment for Ukraine to support its energy
transition, efficiency, and security.
“These measures represent a significant commitment by Germany supported by the
United States, to push back against Russian malign activities and to advance a
more secure and sustainable energy future for Ukraine and other frontline NATO
and EU countries,” said the senior official.
As a sign of support for Kiev, the White House announced earlier in the day
that Biden will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House
on Aug. 30.
The United States has long claimed that the Nord Stream 2 is a geopolitical
maneuver by Moscow that will undermine Ukraine’s role in transiting energy to
Europe and increase European dependence on Russian gas. Germany and Russia
insisted that the project is purely commercial.
The agreement came days after German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to the
White House last week, when President Joe Biden said the two allies are
developing practical measures to ensure energy security in Europe.
Some Republican lawmakers criticized the move. James Risch, a Republican
senator from Idaho, said in a Tuesday statement that the agreement “is full of
promises and assurances, but offers little in the way of meaningful measures
to address the key national security threats Nord Stream 2 poses to U.S.
allies and interests.”
The Biden administration repeatedly stressed that the project was over 90
percent completed when it assumed office to defend its position.
Citing the importance of relations with Germany and the difficulty to stop the
nearly completed pipeline, the Biden administration in May waived sanctions
against a company behind the pipeline project and its German CEO, which led to
opposition from bipartisan lawmakers. Enditem
