Observers concluded that Russia is weaponizing gas supplies and using its dominant position on the European Union gas market to send a political message that Europe would face gas shortages if the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is not completed. But instead of being punished for such behavior, Moscow is being awarded with the lifting of all political obstacles to Nord Stream 2’s completion.
This open letter is signed by dozens of Ukrainian politicians, CEOs, and experts in response to US President Biden's decision to waive congressionally-mandated sanctions on Nord Stream AG, a company building the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, as well as on its executive Matthias Warnig, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Nord Stream 2, a pipeline that would take gas from the Russian Arctic under the Baltic Sea to Germany, bypassing Ukraine's gas transit system, is more than 95% complete. Without a halt in its construction, it is expected to start operation this year. Critics maintain that if Ukraine loses its status as a transit country and there will be no Russian gas flow through Ukraine, Russia will have no losses when it invades the country, during which gas infrastructure can be destroyed. It raises the chances of such a scenario in the future.
Russian gas pipelines Nord Stream (Nord Stream 1) and Nord Stream 2 (under construction). Image: gazprom.com
Although the Biden Administration had previously said that Nord Stream 2 is a Russian geopolitical project that threatens European energy security, as well as that of Ukraine and eastern flank NATO states, it decided that waiving the sanctions, which have bipartisan support in the US Congress, is in the US national interests.
Open Letter: The Time to Stop Nord Stream 2 is Now
Nord Stream 2 remains a major geostrategic threat to Ukraine and Europe. We call on stakeholders in Washington, Berlin, and Brussels in a position of authority and responsibility to apply all means necessary to stop this project.
On May 19, the U.S Department of State submitted a report to Congress pursuant to the Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Act (PEESA), and we found ourselves gravely alarmed by the decision to “waive the application of sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG, its CEO Matthias Warnig, and Nord Stream 2 AG’s corporate officers.” This is a wrong signal to send when Ukraine has just faced a major military buildup on its border, and the peacemaking process to end the occupation of Crimea and stop the war in Donbas has stalled.
US President Joe Biden called Nord Stream 2 out precisely for what it is – a “bad deal for Europe” that, if built, will “lock in great reliance on Russia [which] will fundamentally destabilize Ukraine.” The commitment to stop Nord Stream 2 was echoed by Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, during the confirmation hearing. Blinken did not mince words and affirmed that he was “determined to do whatever I can to prevent that [Nord Stream 2] completion,” reiterating that Biden “would have us use every persuasive tool that we have to convince our friends and partners including Germany not to move forward with it.”
We support the US and European calls on Germany to help stop this Russian geopolitical project. Indeed, it is time for Berlin to take a firm position against Nord Stream 2 and work with its US and European allies to ensure that pipe-laying activity in the Baltic Sea ceases. This diversionary pipeline threatens European unity, contradicts the climate goals, and subverts the E.U.’s common energy policy. Thus, its completion can’t be permitted.
The European Parliament voted decisively to demand a halt to construction. The US Congress has targeted the project with several rounds of sanctions, which effectively dissuaded several major companies from participating in Nord Stream 2. Absent a forceful action by the German Government to terminate this ill-fated pipeline, the US sanctions remain the only mechanism holding Kremlin back from realizing its core geopolitical objective, boosting its malign influence across Europe, and decisively weakening Ukraine’s defense posture. We firmly believe that if Nord Stream 2 was already completed and operational, Russia would have escalated its aggression towards Ukraine.
To stop Nord Stream 2, the United States does not need to adopt new measures: it must simply apply its existing, mandatory sanctions, which Congress passed with overwhelming bipartisan majorities as part of this year’s and last year’s National Defense Authorization Acts. While the brunt of the executive authority available under the current sanctions laws has not been fully leveraged, Russia is working to finish the pipeline with its own vessels and support from some non-Russian companies.
The Kremlin expects Germany to negotiate a deal with the United States, in which the full application of sanctions will be avoided. This cannot be allowed. Too many times in history, grand bargains were struck at the expense of Central & Eastern Europe—and we have all paid dearly for it. By hesitating to apply existing laws and impose sanctions on companies currently involved in Nord Stream 2 pipe-laying, the United States is sending a dangerous message to Russia, one that will affect Russian behavior far beyond Nord Stream 2.
We continue to count on Ukraine’s friends and allies in Washington, Brussels, and Berlin to terminate this pipeline of deception once and for all. With thousands of Russian troops still massed on our borders, no single, non-military action would do more to protect Ukraine against Russian aggression than stopping Nord Stream 2.
Oleksandr
Aliksiichuk
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Volodymyr
Ariev
Member of Ukrainian Parliament, European Solidarity
Olga
Bielkova
Corporate Affairs Director, GTSOU, Member of Ukrainian Parliament (2012-2020)
Larіsa
Bilozir
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Solomiia
Bobrovska
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Ielizaveta
Bohutskaya
Ukrainian Parlament
Olena
Bozhenko
Teacher
Nataliya
Boyko
Member of Supervisory Board, Naftogaz of Ukraine
Yegor
Cherniev
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Ahtem
Chiygoz
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Kostyantyn
Chyzhyk
Ex Deputy Minister of Energy and Environmental protection
Sofiya
Fedyna
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Iryna
Friz
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Pavlo
Frolov
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Iryna
Geraschenko
Member of Ukrainian Parliament, the European Solidarity faction, Co-Head
Mykhailo
Gonchar
President of the CGS Strategy XXI
Dmitry
Grachev
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Dmytro
Gurin
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Myroslav
Hai
Myr & Co Charitable Foundation
Vadym
Halaichuk
Member of Ukrainian parliament
Hanna
Hopko
ANTS Network
Mariia
Ionova
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Natalie
Jaresko
Minister of Finance of Ukraine 2014-2016
Volodymyr
Kabachenko
Member of Ukrainian Parliament, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
Oleksandr
Kachura
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Daria
Kaleniuk
Anti corruption Action Centre
Yuriy
Kamelchuk
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Serhiy
Kiral
Member of Ukrainian Parliament (2014-2019)
Maksym
Khylko
Chairman at the East European Security Research Initiative Foundation
Pavlo
Klimkin
Co-founder, Centre for National Resilience and Development
Yulia
Klymenko
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Ivanna
Klympush-Tsintsadze
Member of the Parliament of Ukraine, Chair, Committee of Ukraine’s Integration into the EU
Mykola
Kniazhytskyi
Member of Ukrainian Parlament
Olena
Kondratiuk
Vice-Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
Vira
Konstantynova
Ex Adviser to the Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament (IX convocation)
Roman
Kostenko
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Olena
Kravchenko
Director, Environment – People – Law (EPL)
Yevheniia
Kravchuk
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Roman
Lozynskyi
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Sergiy
Makogon
CEO, Gas TSO of Ukraine
Roman
Motychak
Ukrainian Financial Forum coordinator
Valentyn
Nalyvaichenko
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Dmytro
Natalukha
Chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Ukraine, MP
Dr. Thomas
O’Donnell
Adjunct Faculty, Hertie School of Governance-Berlin & Senior Energy and Geopolitical Analyst @ GlobslBarrel.com
Volodymyr
Ogrysko
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (2007 - 2009)
Volodymyr
Omelyan
Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine in 2016-19, member of Central Council, Political Party “European Solidarity”
Oleksii
Orzhel
Ex Minister of energy and environment protection
Andrii
Osadchuk
MP at Verhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine
Tetiana
Ostrikova
Member of Ukrainian Parliament of the 8th Convocation
Rostyslav
Pavlenko
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Olena
Pavlenko
DiXi Group
Yevhen
Petruniak
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Nataliya
Pipa
Member of Ukrainian Parliament, Golos
Viktoriya
Podgorna
Member of Ukraine Parliament
Zenon
Potoczny
President, Canada Ukraine Chamber of Commerce
Mykyta
Poturaiev
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Victoria
Ptashnyk
Member of Ukrainian Parliament, 8th convocation
Sergii
Rakhmanin
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Oleksii
Riabchyn
Energy and EU Green deal Advisor to Deputy Prime-Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olga Stefanishyna
Pavlo
Rizanenko
Member of Ukrainian Parliament, 2012-2019
Kira
Rudyk
Leader of the "Holos Party"
Oleksandr
Sanchenko
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Yaroslava
Simonova
Educatress of Mlyniv State Technological and Economic College
Viktoria
Siumar
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Andriy
Sharaskin
Golos
Alona
Shkrum
Member of Ukrainian parliament, Committee on tax and banking
Iryna
Sulikovska
Master of Ukrainian embroidery and dolls
Oleksandr
Sushko
Executive Director, International Renaissance Foundation
Yaroslav
Sydorovych
National Interests advocacy network “ANTS” Founder and Board membe
Tetyana
Tsyba
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Andreas
Umland
Senior Expert of the Ukrainian Institute for the Future
Oleksandra
Ustinova
The Member of the Parliament of Ukraine
Lesia
Vasylenko
Parliament of Ukraine
Yuriy
Vitrenko
CEO, National Company “Naftogaz of Ukraine”
Serhii
Vysotskyi
journalist, member of Ukrainian Parliament (2014-2019)
Yelyzaveta
Yasko
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Ostap
Yednak
ANTS NETWORK
Ivan
Yunakov
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Yaroslav
Yurchyshyn
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Oksana
Yurynets
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Oksana
Yurynets
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Svitlana
Zalishchuk
Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine
Iaroslav
Zhelezniak
The Member of Ukrainian Parliament, the Head of political party “Golos” faction
Oleksii
Zhmerenetskyi
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
Andrii
Zhupanyn
Member of Ukrainian Parliament
You can sign the open letter here.
First published on Kyiv Post
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