Jen Psaki is now claiming that Biden has been clearly against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which they are trying to use as leverage against Putin. All of this despite Biden getting rid of sanctions that allowed the chief Russian company building the pipeline to finish it:
DC EXAMINER – The White House is adamant its opposition to the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline has been a long-held position despite lifting the sanctions and describing it as leverage against Russia.
The White House has been “clear” that it does not support Nord Stream 2 as “a Russian geopolitical project that undercuts the energy security and national security of a significant part of the Euro-Atlantic community,” according to press secretary Jen Psaki.
“That’s long been our position,” she told reporters Wednesday. “It’s not online, the pipeline. The German regulators have said it is not currently on track to be approved until at least the latter half of 2022, and we’ll continue to work with Germany, Ukraine, and other allies and partners to implement the July 21 joint statement.”
She added: “Again, if Russia invades Ukraine, Nord Stream 2 will not come online.”
Germany agreed last summer to help preserve Ukraine’s gas transit revenues if President Joe Biden lifted sanctions against Nord Stream 2 AG, a subsidiary wholly owned by Russian state company Gazprom. The agreement provides Ukraine with more time to become independent of the Kremlin, which transports gas through Ukraine instead of the 764-mile undersea pipeline. But the deal was controversial, even among Democrats.
This White House must think they are the masters of the jedi mind trick, because that’s essentially what they are doing here. Lifting the sanctions so that Russia could finish building the pipeline is what has brought us to this moment, where Putin is ready to invade Ukraine.
And here’s the thing. At this point I believe Putin isn’t worried about threats from Germany and Biden about nixing the pipeline. He knows Germany needs this gas and at the end of the day, he probably feels they’ll operate in their own self interests after Ukraine is once again made part of Russia proper.