As the BBC reports today (Jan. 28), the U.S. government has threatened to stop the release of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany if Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to send troops to Ukraine.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline project is a major project with an operating budget of $11 billion that will transport natural gas from Russia’s Western Siberia region through the Baltic Sea to Germany.
With a length of 1,225 kilometers, Nord Stream 2 runs parallel to the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, which Russia plans to use to double its natural gas supplies to Germany.
The U.S. government’s warning came after German officials in Berlin said that “the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project could be subject to sanctions if Russia attacks Ukraine.”
Tensions in Ukraine are coming to a head amid fears that President Putin may send troops to invade Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands of Russian troops have been stationed on the border with Ukraine, Mainstream media report. This prompted Western countries to threaten economic sanctions against Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said: ” Russia’s gas pipeline to Europe is a dangerous geopolitical weapon.”