[Epoch Times, July 22, 2021](Epoch Times reporter Chen Ting comprehensive report) The United States and Germany announced an agreement on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline on Wednesday (July 21). In the agreement, Berlin promised that if Russia uses energy as a weapon against Ukraine or other Central and Eastern European countries, Russia will pay the price.
The agreement aims to mitigate the strategic risks of this natural gas pipeline. At present, 98% of Beixi II is completed and is being constructed under the Baltic Sea to transport natural gas from Russia’s Arctic region to Germany.
US officials are opposed to this pipeline. Once it is opened, Russia will be able to bypass Ukraine and other countries and directly export natural gas to Germany. However, the Biden administration chose not to impose sanctions on the pipeline. Instead, it negotiated and reached an agreement with Germany, threatening that Russia would respond if it tried to use the pipeline to invade Ukraine and other countries.
According to a report by Reuters, a joint statement on the agreement stated that Washington and Berlin will “united and determined to hold Russia accountable for its aggression and malicious acts through sanctions and other tools.”
The statement said that if Russia tries to “use energy as a weapon or take further aggression against Ukraine,” Germany will take measures on its own and push the EU to take actions, including sanctions, “to limit Russia’s energy exports to Europe.”
The statement did not clearly indicate which acts of aggression by Russia will lead to German actions.
“We chose not to provide Russia with a road map to allow them to escape this counterattack.” A State Department official who asked not to be named told Reuters.
According to the agreement, Germany will “use all available means” to extend the Russia-Ukraine gas transit agreement for 10 years. The agreement is Ukraine’s main source of income and will expire in 2024.
Germany will also provide at least $175 million in funding for a newly established “Ukrainian Green Fund” to improve Ukraine’s energy independence.
However, this statement does not seem to be able to alleviate Ukraine’s concerns about the Beixi No. 2 pipeline.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter that Ukraine sent a note to Brussels and Berlin calling for consultations, adding that the pipeline “threatens the security of Ukraine”.
Culiba also issued a statement together with the Polish Foreign Minister, jointly opposing Beixi II.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he is looking forward to “frank and positive” discussions on the pipeline when he meets with Biden in Washington next month.
Republican Senator Ted Cruz also expressed concern about the agreement. He said that this agreement “will be a geopolitical victory for a whole generation for Putin, and a disaster for the United States and our allies.”
Reuters pointed out that Cruz and other lawmakers are angry at Biden’s abandonment of sanctions on the pipeline. The relevant sanctions have been passed by Congress and are trying to force the government to impose sanctions.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, said she did not believe the agreement would reduce the risk of Beixi-2. She said the pipeline would “enable the Kremlin to spread its vicious influence throughout Eastern Europe.”
“When the key player on the negotiating table-Russia-refuses to follow the rules, I am skeptical about its effectiveness,” Shahin said.
Editor in charge: Ye Ziwei#
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