Biden threatens to block Nord Stream 2 if Russia invades Ukrain. Photo Courtesy – Bloomberg
Tensions have been escalated with the Western nations over the deployment of more than 100,000 Russian troops on the Ukrainian border. US President Joe Biden met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington on Monday in this context. Later he threatened that Russia will not have ‘Nord Stream 2’ if it invades Ukraine.
At a joint news conference after the meeting, Biden threatened on account of a newly build Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. He says if Moscow invades Ukraine, Russia’s second most profitable gas pipeline to Germany will be shut down.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that only the United States and its allies have been talking about an attack. The administration of Vladimir Putin has always denied any involvement in that plot.
Journalists wanted to know from Biden how the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would be shut down. However, Biden did not provide any specific information on the matter. He just said, “I promise you – we can do it.”
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Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany was currently on a visit to Washington for the first time. He said that the United States and Germany were united in imposing sanctions on Moscow if Russia invaded Ukraine. He also told, “We will take the same step and that will be very difficult for Russia.”
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, had a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. He told at a joint news conference after the meeting that the coming days would be crucial for easing the crisis in Ukraine. Macron made the remarks at a local time on Monday night after a meeting in Moscow.
It is the first summit of Vladimir Putin with a Western leader since the massive presence of the Russian military on the Ukrainian border. Macron told the reporters that the final days were ahead and intensive discussions were needed so that they could reach a consensus.
Putin told that some of the proposals of Emmanuel Macron could pave the way for more joint action. Putin added that they were apparently in a hurry to speak. He also reiterated earlier warnings that if Ukraine joined the Western military alliance NATO, there could be a major conflict in Europe.
Reference: BBC
Shalini Gupta is a teacher at New Delhi with multifarious talents. She has a deep passion for reading, writing, drawing, sketching etc. simultaneously with her teaching job. She is currently writing for Bigumbrella also.
