“Russia’s adversaries in central and Eastern Europe are worried President Biden isn’t willing to fight hard to stop the Russia-Germany gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 — one of Vladimir Putin’s core priorities,” Axios reported. “The completion of Nord Stream 2 would be a huge geopolitical win for Putin and give him substantial new leverage in Europe.”Axios’ report notes that completion of the pipeline would help Russia further isolate Ukraine, a struggling democracy, which it has cut off from its natural gas supply. Russia’s natural gas currently has to go through Ukraine to get to Europe but completing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline—which is now 90% complete—would allow Russia to pump gas straight into Germany.
“The Ukrainians are a bit disappointed that President Biden did not commit during the Munich [Security] Conference to use every tool in his power to stop Nord Stream 2,” a source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Axios. “But it is not too late for the U.S. to take decisive action, and the Ukrainians are hopeful the Biden administration will do so.”
