Thread by @BLSchmitt

👇👇👇 THREAD:

[1] 🇺🇸🇩🇪🇪🇺🇺🇦 Germany’s announcement it has suspended certification of Kremlin’s #NordStream2 pipeline was an urgently needed step given Russia’s overt invasion of Ukraine’s Donbas region. Welcome & long overdue.

[2] Suspending the certification process for #NordStream2 should be seen as a first step by Berlin in deterring further Russian military action against Ukraine, followed by further action to block the pipeline for good.

[3] Berlin should next seek sanctions at the EU level ensuring that the Kremlin-backed #NordStream2 can never come online and be allowed to do lasting harm to European energy security and Ukrainian national security interests in the process.

[4] Transatlantic community broadly opposes #NordStream2. Not only Ukraine & CEE nations, but Nordics, UK, US, Canada, etc have publicly opposed. EU Parliament voted to STOP #NS2 multiple times in past 3 years by overwhelming majorities. #NordStream2 is a Kremlin, not EU project.

[5] The Biden Administration should next match an EU sanctions announcement through the enforcement of existing, mandatory U.S. sanctions targeting Nord Stream 2 AG – the entity controlling the pipeline, which is itself fully-owned by Kremlin-controlled Gazprom.

[6] The US has opposed #NordStream2 on bipartisan basis since 2015. Congress has passed both discretionary (2017 CAATSA) & mandatory (2019 & 2020 NDAA) sanctions to stop #NS2 on near unanimous basis. In 2016, VP Biden was first prominent senior official to publicly oppose NS2.

[7] Nord Stream 2 AG, the parent company of the #NordStream2 pipeline and primary Congressional sanctions target is *NOT* a German firm. It’s a Swiss-based entity 100% owned and operated by #Kremlin-controlled #Gazprom, a Russian state-owned-enterprise.

[8] #NordStream2 is not designed to bring significant new gas volumes to Germany & points West – design only intends 9.9 of the 55 bcma capacity for that direction. Aim of the Kremlin project is to end gas transit via Ukraine, harming Kyiv’s economic & national security.

[9] Additionally, the European financial partners of Kremlin-backed #NordStream2 pipeline should demonstrate corporate responsibility in light of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and end their partnership now:

1 @omv
2 @wintershalldea
3 @uniper_energy
4 @ENGIEgroup
5 @Shell

[10] Lastly, in case there could still be any confusion at this point, I’ll say it again:

#NordStream2 is #NotJustACommercialDeal