If Russia invades Ukraine, Nord Stream 2, the gas pipeline that is supposed to travel from Russia to Germany “will not move forward,” a State Department spokesman said.
The United States is hoping to prevent a Russian incursion, even though officials continue to warn that it could happen “at any point.” The situation, which escalated weeks ago when Russia moved roughly 100,000 troops to the border, continued to progress in late January, though it remained unclear as to whether an invasion is inevitable.
“I want to be very clear about this. If Russia invades Ukraine, one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a CNN interview Thursday.
US SENDING WEAPONS TO UKRAINE AND PULLING AMERICANS OUT
The pipeline could be used as a leverage point in deterring a Russian incursion, though some have maintained that consequences such as sanctions should wait until after Russia moves into Ukraine instead of being used as a preemptive measure. There is also a split in Washington, D.C., on the pipeline and how sanctions should be implemented.
The Senate has debated a variety of different bills that would impose punishments on Russia should they invade.
They voted against legislation earlier this month sponsored by GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas that would have imposed heavy sanctions on the company behind a pipeline. The Biden administration has opposed it, though it did receive some Democratic support.
Similarly, Sen. Bob Menendez, the New Jersey Democrat who heads the Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a bill backed by the White House that would impose sanctions on Russia and provide military assistance to Ukraine if Russia escalates hostile actions against its neighbor, and Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio introduced a separate bill that would impose personal sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders if their troops further invade Ukraine.
Germany could renege on Nord Stream 2, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last week, noting: “It is clear that there will be a high price to pay and that everything will have to be discussed should there be a military intervention in Ukraine.”
The tension between the U.S. and Russia as it relates to Ukraine has bubbled over in recent weeks.
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The U.S. provided a written response Wednesday to Russia’s recent demand that NATO should agree never to allow another country to join the alliance and roll back security assistance with Eastern European allies as American officials attempt to launch a confidential dialogue with Moscow.
Earlier this week, the Pentagon put 8,500 troops on “heightened alert” for a possible deployment to Eastern Europe. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also ordered “eligible family members” of U.S. diplomats in Kyiv to leave the country last weekend and granted permission for “non-emergency U.S. government employees” to depart if they so choose.
