{"id":389431,"date":"2022-01-04T04:16:07","date_gmt":"2022-01-04T01:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/biden-must-stop-germany-undermining-him-on-ukraine-over-gas\/"},"modified":"2022-01-04T04:16:07","modified_gmt":"2022-01-04T01:16:07","slug":"biden-must-stop-germany-undermining-him-on-ukraine-over-gas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/biden-must-stop-germany-undermining-him-on-ukraine-over-gas\/","title":{"rendered":"#Biden must stop Germany undermining him on Ukraine over gas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#Biden must stop Germany undermining him on Ukraine over gas<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Germany likes to position itself as the world\u2019s con<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>. These days, it\u2019s anything but.<\/p>\n<p>Who can forget an aggressive Angela Merkel standing over a seated Donald Trump during the 2018 G7 summit? Claiming Trump was a threat to global stability, the chancellor tried to intimidate the leader of the free world because he asked Germany to honor its NATO defense-spending commitment. <\/p>\n<p>A strong NATO \u2014\u00a0in which all members honor their commitments \u2014\u00a0is the robust Russian deterrent that Merkel didn\u2019t want.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Flash forward to today, and Germany\u2019s new Chancellor Olaf Scholz is following in Merkel\u2019s footsteps. Russian troops hover at Ukraine\u2019s border as President Vladimir Putin indulges his fantasy of snatching more land. But rather than push back against Putin \u2014\u00a0as Trump (and Barack Obama) did through sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project \u2014 Germany continues to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ease the strongman and endanger Ukraine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a Sunday phone call, the White House said, that America and our allies \u201cwill respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine\u201d and \u201care committed to the principle of \u2018no decisions or discussions about Ukraine without Ukraine.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But by waiving sanctions on Nord Stream 2 and failing to exert more pressure on a reckless Germany, Biden is effectively allowing an economic invasion of Ukraine, Poland and the rest of Europe.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"629\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/POWER-PRICES_NORDSTREAM-PUTIN.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"The logo of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project is seen on a pipe at the Chelyabinsk pipe rolling plant in Chelyabinsk.\" class=\"wp-image-20703369\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/POWER-PRICES_NORDSTREAM-PUTIN.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/POWER-PRICES_NORDSTREAM-PUTIN.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/POWER-PRICES_NORDSTREAM-PUTIN.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/POWER-PRICES_NORDSTREAM-PUTIN.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Germany embracing Russia\u2019s Nord Stream 2 for its energy sourcing could have major implications for global stability. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Germany is embracing Russia\u2019s Nord Stream 2 for its energy sourcing \u2014\u00a0ironically a carbon-fuel pipeline, even as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/energy\/germany-shuts-down-half-of-its-6-remaining-nuclear-plants\">Germany shuts down<\/a> its clean-energy nuclear plants due to irrational fears. In the process, Germany will bypass Ukraine in getting its gas, threatening that nation\u2019s economy and leverage.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Germany propping up Russia\u2019s petrostate has major implications for global stability. Not only do Germany\u2019s actions line Putin\u2019s pockets, they also slam Ukraine, an emerging state desperate to strengthen pro-democracy ties. After all, Putin claims his troop aggression is the result of Ukrainian efforts to further align with the West.<\/p>\n<p>Ukraine earns about <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/oilprice.com\/Energy\/Natural-Gas\/European-Gas-Struggles-Leave-Bulgaria-In-A-Tight-Spot.html\">$1 billion a year<\/a> from its current pipeline, money that would dry up upon Nord Stream 2\u2019s completion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUkraine would also <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atlanticcouncil.org\/blogs\/ukrainealert\/is-europe-giving-up-on-ukraine\/\">lose its influence over Western Europe<\/a> as its pipelines would become obsolete,\u201d journalist Mark Temnycky observes. \u201cAs a result, while Europe would become dependent on Russia, the Russians could further meddle in Ukraine\u2019s affairs without consequence.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/AFP_9VF2FC.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20703388\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/AFP_9VF2FC.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/AFP_9VF2FC.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/AFP_9VF2FC.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/AFP_9VF2FC.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Biden, right, told Zelensky Sunday that the US is \u201ccommitted to the principle of \u2018no decisions or discussions about Ukraine without Ukraine.\u2019\u201d<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The economy of Poland, another post-Soviet state oriented west, will also suffer under Nord Stream 2, Temnycky notes. Scuttling the current Ukrainian-Polish pipeline would force Poland to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2018-01-27\/u-s-says-russian-gas-link-to-germany-hurts-european-security\">import gas<\/a> from Germany, causing <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.intellinews.com\/poland-russia-heading-for-long-running-legal-dispute-over-nord-stream-2-193978\/\">gas prices to rise<\/a> for Polish families.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Olga Bielkova, an executive at Ukraine\u2019s gas-transportation-system operator GTSOU, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atlanticcouncil.org\/blogs\/ukrainealert\/nord-stream-2-germany-must-listen-to-ukrainian-security-concerns\/\">says that Russia\u2019s military actions<\/a> in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine already made two gas interconnection points on the Russian-Ukrainian border inaccessible.<\/p>\n<p>Bielkova warns that if Nord Stream 2 goes ahead, \u201cgas deliveries to Europe through Ukraine will cease completely or, at best, will be severely reduced.\u201d And since 80 percent of GTSOU\u2019s income comes from its international sales, the cost of maintaining its infrastructure \u201cwould fall on Ukrainian consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>As soon as Ukraine learned Nord Stream 2 applied for certification with Germany\u2019s energy regulator, GTSOU <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/tsoua.com\/en\/news\/gas-tso-of-ukraine-submitted-a-request-to-take-part-in-the-nord-stream-2-certification-process\/\">filed a request<\/a> asking the Germans to consider risks to Ukrainian security.<\/p>\n<p>Germany is leaving itself vulnerable to the price manipulations of a wily ex-KGB agent. Myron Wasylyk, adviser to Ukrainian oil and gas company Naftogaz Group, said Germany is harming itself by tying its fortunes to such a capricious actor as Putin. \u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>Over the summer, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atlanticcouncil.org\/blogs\/ukrainealert\/ukraine-seeks-role-in-german-certification-of-putins-pipeline\/\">Wasylyk points out,<\/a> Russia\u2019s Gazprom \u201cdiverted gas exports from Europe and simultaneously depleted gas in storage facilities throughout the continent owned by the Russian energy company. At home, Gazprom stockpiled gas in domestic storage and limited export to Europe through traditional pipelines, thereby driving up gas prices to historic levels.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>During winter pricing disputes, Russia cut deliveries of fuel to Ukraine and parts of Europe. Why is Germany asleep at the wheel while Putin thinks nothing of exploiting the bitter cold to enrich his coffers?<\/p>\n<p>Ukraine, meanwhile, has offered reliable gas-pipeline services for more than 30 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Both the Trump and Obama administrations rightly opposed Nord Stream 2, arguing it would strengthen Putin\u2019s power over Europe. Biden is lukewarm at best, giving verbal raps on the wrist \u2014 White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki says, \u201cNord Stream 2 is a bad deal for Europe\u201d \u2014 while waiving sanctions.<\/p>\n<p>Germany and the European Commission are not likely to make a final decision on Nord Stream 2 until the summer. There\u2019s still time for both Biden and Germany to show courage and stop this debacle before it unfolds.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><em>Carrie Sheffield is a senior policy analyst at<\/em><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.iwf.org\/people\/carrie-sheffield\/\"><em> Independent Women\u2019s Forum.<\/em><\/a><em> She completed a Fulbright fellowship in Berlin studying German <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a> and political economy.<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/01\/03\/biden-must-stop-germany-undermining-him-on-ukraine-over-gas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Biden must stop Germany undermining him on Ukraine over gas&#8221; Germany likes to position itself as the world\u2019s conscience. These days, it\u2019s anything but. Who can forget an aggressive Angela Merkel standing over a seated Donald Trump during the 2018 G7 summit? Claiming Trump was a threat to global stability, the chancellor tried to intimidate&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":389432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/AFP_9UC7FH.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[123038,71428,70752,43905,991,4356,70868,73234],"class_list":["post-389431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-1-3-22","tag-angela-merkel","tag-energy","tag-germany","tag-joe-biden","tag-nato","tag-ukraine","tag-vladimir-putin"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=389431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/389432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=389431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=389431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=389431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}