Trump picks Pam Bondi as attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdraws    Fake-alcohol deaths highlight SE Asia's methanol problem    Netanyahu attacks ICC war crimes arrest warrants    KSrelief provided over $7bln to support children around the world    Al-Jasser: Saudi Arabia to expand rail network to over 8,000 km    OMODA&JAECOO: Unstoppable global cumulative sales over 360,000 units    Saudi Arabia sees 73.7% rise in investment licenses in Q3 2024    9 erring body care centers shut in Riyadh    20,000 military emblems confiscated in Riyadh    Al-Samaani visits headquarters of Hague Conference on Private International Law    Al Hilal doesn't need extra support to bring new players, CEO says    Fate of Gaetz ethics report uncertain after congressional panel deadlocked    Indian billionaire Gautam Adani indicted in New York on fraud charges    Rafael Nadal: Farewell to the 'King of Clay'    Indonesia shocks Saudi Arabia with 2-0 victory in AFC Asian Qualifiers    Sitting too much linked to heart disease –– even if you work out    Yemeni Orchestra's captivating performances in Riyadh, showcasing shared cultural legacies    Future of Ronaldo's Al Nassr contract remains undecided, says Saudi Pro League CEO    GASTAT report: 45.1% of Saudis are overweight    Denmark's Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Ukraine crisis: West threatens to ax Russia gas pipeline
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 27 - 01 - 2022

Germany and the US have warned they could target a key Russian gas pipeline if the country invades Ukraine.
A US State Department spokesman said the Nord Stream 2 pipeline "will not move forward" if Russia were to attack.
The controversial energy project is designed to double gas flow and runs from Russia direct to Germany under the Baltic Sea.
It circumvents Ukraine, which relies on existing pipelines for income and is under threat from Russian forces.
Tens of thousands of Russian troops have massed on Ukraine's borders in recent weeks, prompting fears of an invasion - despite repeated Russian denials of any plan to attack.
On Wednesday the US rejected Russia's key demand to bar Ukraine from joining the Nato military alliance, while offering Moscow a "serious diplomatic path forward".
President Vladimir Putin is currently assessing the proposals, his spokesman said on Thursday.
The 1,225km (760-mile) pipeline took five years to build and cost some $11bn (£8bn). But as yet it has not started operating, as regulators said in November it does not comply with German law and suspended its approval.
Speaking to broadcaster NPR, US state department spokesman Ned Price said his country would work with Germany to ensure the project did not go ahead if Russia invaded.
"I want to be very clear: if Russia invades Ukraine one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward," he said, but added that he was "not going to get into the specifics" of how it would be stopped.
Germany's foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, later told the German parliament that Western allies are "working on a strong package of sanctions" covering aspects "including Nord Stream 2", promising serious consequences for Russia if it were to attack.
It came after the German ambassador to the US Emily Haber tweeted that "nothing will be off the table, including Nord Stream 2" if Russia violated "Ukraine's sovereignty".
Major European businesses have invested heavily in Nord Stream 2, which is run by former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.
Currently the German government believes that "natural gas will continue to make a significant contribution to energy supply in Germany over the coming decades", saying it is "more climate-friendly compared to other fossil fuels".
But many groups object to Nord Stream 2. Environmentalists question how it will fit in with German efforts to cut emissions and tackle man-made climate change, while politicians at home and abroad fear it could increase Europe's dependence on Russian energy - roughly half the EU's gas currently comes from Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously described the pipeline as a "dangerous geopolitical weapon".
His country is currently facing some 100,000 Russian troops stationed on its borders, with growing fears that President Putin plans to launch an assault.
Russia had issued a written list of its concerns about the expansion of Nato and related security issues. Among them was a demand for Nato to rule out the possibility of Ukraine and others ever joining the alliance.
On Wednesday, the US and Nato gave Russia a formal response to its demands to resolve the Ukraine crisis. It will not be made public, but US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the document made their "core principles" clear, including Ukraine's sovereignty and its right to choose to be part of security alliances such as Nato.
Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said the formal response does not address Russia's "main concern" about the alliance's expansion. But he did say that it "gives hope for the start of a serious conversation" on secondary questions, adding that President Putin will decide how to respond.
The president's spokesman Dmitry Peskov meanwhile told reporters Russia would not "rush into assessments", saying it would take "time to analyse" the response.
Separately, diplomats from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany reaffirmed a commitment to the long-standing ceasefire agreement in Ukraine, which had seen Russia-backed rebels seize territory in the eastern Donbas region.
All four nations continue to support the ceasefire "regardless of differences on other issues" related to the 2015 Minsk agreements, a statement published by the French presidency said.
The Kremlin's deputy chief of staff Dmitri Kozak characterised the eight-hour talks in Paris as "not simple", and the group is due to meet again in two weeks in Berlin.
Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters on Thursday that the Russian decision to come to talks in Berlin was "good news", as it means that "Russia for the next two weeks is likely to remain on the diplomatic track". — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.