Russia’s imminent threat of a Ukrainian invasion has reopened Cold War-era wounds and left world leaders scrambling to shore up NATO ties to present a united European front.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken took a steadfast tone Friday following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, telling reporters any Russian invasion would be “met with a swift, severe and united response.”
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Blinken’s promise of a united front comes after reports surfaced in recent weeks that suggested Germany may be backtracking its support for sanctioning the Nord Stream 2 pipeline if Russia violates Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Germany’s new Chancellor Olaf Scholz attempted to set the record straight this week and said the newly appointed government stood by the U.S.-Germany agreement forged in July 2021 between President Biden and former Chancellor Angela Merkel.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivers a speech during a meeting of the German federal parliament, Bundestag, at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021.
(AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
Both parties agreed to allow the continued construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which will funnel gas into Germany from Russia, so long as the Kremlin does not abuse the pipeline for political gains.
The U.S. and other NATO-member nations have threatened harsh economic sanctions, including on the pipeline, if Russian President Vladimir Putin invades the former Soviet nation.
But comments made by Biden in an address to the nation Wednesday suggested NATO was not yet united in its willingness to punish Putin through the new pipeline.
“It depends on what he does, as to the exact … extent we’re going to be able to get total unity … on the NATO front,” Biden said.
Stefanie Babst, a former senior NATO official, also claimed in an article for the German Council on Foreign Relations this month that…
Source : foxnews
