Sullivan: Nord Stream 2 remains U.S. leverage against Russia

That’s according to the U.S. President’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who spoke with Fox News.

“And we have been absolutely clear that if Russia invades Ukraine, one way or the other, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward. That's leverage for us that we have right now, so we intend to use that leverage and Vladimir Putin has a choice to make. If he chooses to move on Ukraine, he will not be getting the benefits of Nord Stream 2,” Sullivan said in an interview.

The advisor added that, being a “substantial” energy producer, the U.S. is working with partners across the world to frustrate Russia’s attempts to use energy as a weapon.

“[I]f Putin turns down the supply of gas to Europe, that we can find cargoes of liquefied natural gas going elsewhere in the world and redirect them to Europe. So the United States is prepared for a contingency against Russia,” said Sullivan.

The advisor has noted that the United States is “investing massively in being a leader in energy transition.”

The national security advisor said that, for now, the U.S. continues to use fossil fuels but over the course of years and decades, the nation is set to become a “clean energy superpower.”

“President Biden's investments and his visions for how to make the United States the world's clean energy superpower, that's what's going to put us in the best strategic position alongside democratic, like-minded allies and partners,” Jake Sullivan concluded.

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline was built in early September. The pipeline is designed to double the amount of gas flowing from Russia to Germany, bypassing Ukraine, on the bed of the Baltic Sea. The only shareholder in the project is Gazprom.

Nord Stream AG on September 6, 2021, submitted an application to Germany's Federal Network Agency for the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

However, in November, the regulator suspended the certification procedure due to non-compliance with European gas legislation. The operating company Nord Stream AG, headquartered in Switzerland, was to set up a company in Germany to share functions.

Such a subsidiary, Gas for Europe GmbH, was further set up in Germany.

The German regulator notes that the certification process will remain suspended until the transfer of the main assets and human resources to the subsidiary has been completed and the Federal Network Agency will be in a position to check the unit's documents for completeness.

Ukraine, Poland, the Baltic States, other countries, and the European Parliament actively oppose the completion of the project.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is convinced that the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project is a weapon against not only Ukraine but the whole of Europe in the future.

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