Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba and Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Raum have jointly addressed US President Joe Biden. They are asking Biden to help stop the construction of the North Stream 2 pipeline. The pipeline will connect Russia and Germany and bring natural gas from Russia to Germany. The foreign ministers called the project “dangerous and divisive.”
The pipeline will have a serious impact on Ukraine as the country will no longer be able to receive a transit fee.
In 2020, the US Congress passed the European Energy Security Regulation (PEESCA). This act should have increased the list of sanctioned services. The sanctions also applied to companies that provided insurance, reinsurance, testing, inspection and certification services for this project. PEESCA became law on January 1st.
“Poland and Ukraine have been talking for a long time about the dangers associated with the construction of Russian North Stream 2. “Our calls for vigilance and boldness have been heard in the US Congress, which has led to steps to stop this dangerous and divisive project,” a joint letter from the Ukrainian and Polish foreign ministers was published in the US edition of Politico on 22 February.
“We urge the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to use all available means at his disposal to prevent the completion of this project,” the letter reads.
Ministers say America continues to play a critically important role in this project. The ministers fear that if the project is successful, Russia will try to convince Ukrainians that the West does not care about its own principles and also does not care about Ukraine’s security and success.
The 150-kilometer pipeline will cross the Danish-German territorial waters to the bottom of the Baltic Sea to complete the project. The project is controlled by the Russian state company Gazprom. It is expected that this pipeline will transport 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas a year from Russia to Germany.
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