Germany says it is committed to safeguarding Ukraine's role as a transit route for Russian gas into Europe, while warning Nord Stream 2 pipeline will not function if Moscow-Kiev tensions escalate further
US criticises the 1,200-kilometre pipeline, which runs underwater from Russia's Baltic coast to northeastern Germany.
"In the event of further escalation this gas pipeline could not come into service," Germany's new Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told German television station ZDF, clarifying earlier threats made by Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Scholz had earlier said during a visit to Poland that: "It would be a serious mistake to believe that violating the borders of a European country would remain without consequences."The pipeline, which has been backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the one hand and by Scholz's predecessor Angela Merkel on the other in recent years, has been heavily criticised by United States and its allies.
Moreover, Ukraine –– until now one of the major transit countries for Russian gas to Europe, as well as fighting Russian-backed separatist forces inside its own borders –– fears that it will be economically and diplomatically weakened by the project, which bypasses its territory.
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