US, EU and Germany vow to halt Nord Stream 2 if Russia invades Ukraine

The future of Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline could be in jeopardy should Russia invade Ukraine, top US, EU and German officials have warned.

“I want to be very clear: Nothing is off the table, everything is on the table,” European Union Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told CNN in an interview late on Thursday, responding to a question on whether Nord Stream 2 – the as-yet inoperative pipeline meant to transport gas from Russia to Germany – would be halted if Russia invaded Ukraine.

Von der Leyen noted that the EU is Russia’s biggest trading partner with some 40 percent of the trade in goods, and the biggest foreign investor in Russia with 75 percent of foreign direct investment coming from the bloc.

Her comments came as US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told NPR in an interview that the pipeline would not move forward if Russia invaded Ukraine. “I want to be very clear: if Russia invades Ukraine one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward,” Price said on Wednesday. “I’m not going to get into the specifics. We will work with Germany to ensure it does not move forward.”

On Thursday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told parliament that the government was “working on a strong package of sanctions” alongside allies that would include Nord Stream 2.

In a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday, US President Joe Biden warned that there was a “distinct possibility” Russia might invade Ukraine next month, the White House said.

Amid the escalating crisis, Moscow has said that it sees “little ground for optimism” in resolving the situation after the US rejected Russia’s key demands.

The developments came as Nord Stream 2 AG, the consortium that owns the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, announced the creation of a German subsidiary called Gas for Europe GmbH – bringing the pipeline closer to receiving German regulators’ approval to begin operations.