{"id":1124724,"date":"2021-12-16T09:58:29","date_gmt":"2021-12-16T14:58:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1124724"},"modified":"2021-12-16T09:58:33","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T14:58:33","slug":"ukraines-zelensky-torches-weak-biden-e-u-policy-sanctions-after-invasion-wont-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ukraines-zelensky-torches-weak-biden-e-u-policy-sanctions-after-invasion-wont-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Ukraine&#039;s Zelensky Torches Weak Biden, E.U. Policy: Sanctions After Invasion &#039;Won&#039;t Matter&#039;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fukraines-zelensky-torches-weak-biden-e-u-policy-sanctions-after-invasion-wont-matter%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1124724&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">Frustrated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ukrinform.net\/rubric-polytics\/3370003-sanctions-must-precede-not-follow-possible-escalation-by-russia-zelensky.html\">told<\/a> reporters Wednesday that the European Union and Biden administration\u2019s tactic of threatening Russia with sanctions in the event that Moscow invades Ukraine \u201cwon\u2019t matter to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Zelensky, in Brussels to shore up support for Kyiv in light of a growing Russian military presence on Ukraine\u2019s eastern border, has repeatedly expressed dismay with the European Union and President Joe Biden over their supportive policies towards the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, a project that would essentially give Russia unimpeded access to the central European market. Russia, otherwise a weak economic power, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ukrinform.net\/rubric-polytics\/3370003-sanctions-must-precede-not-follow-possible-escalation-by-russia-zelensky.html\">leverages<\/a> its significant energy market to influence Europe, and the Ukrainian government insists it will essentially have a stranglehold on Europe if Nord Stream 2 becomes a dominant form of transporting gas to Germany, the heart of the E.U.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe EU\u2019s domestic gas production is in rapid decline. To meet demand, the EU needs reliable, affordable and sustainable new gas supplies,\u201d the official Nord Stream 2 website <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nord-stream2.com\/company\/rationale\/\">claims<\/a>. \u201cThe Nord Stream 2 Pipeline will provide this by transporting gas from the world\u2019s largest reserves in Russia to the EU internal market.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Zelensky has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/ukraine-nord-stream-2-a-dangerous-geopolitical-weapon\/a-58950076\">asserted<\/a> that, in addition to freezing Ukraine out of the European energy market, Nord Stream 2 is a \u201cdangerous geopolitical weapon\u201d and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ukrinform.net\/rubric-polytics\/3229089-zelensky-nord-stream-2-is-a-matter-of-war-not-business.html\">a matter of war<\/a>.\u201d While not directly linking the pipeline to the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine\u2019s Donbass region, the Ukrainian government has implied that any emboldening of Russia would worsen the situation there. Russia regards the conflict as a civil war between Kyiv and ethnic Russians; Kyiv has revealed significant evidence that Russia supports those \u201cseparatists\u201d and the war is actually between Russia and Ukraine, not Ukraine and a domestic secessionist movement.<\/p>\n<p>The Ukrainian president emphasized in remarks on Wednesday&nbsp;that the current prevailing policy towards Nord Stream 2 in the European Union and the United States would do nothing to maintain peace.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cAs for the sanctions policy. Some leaders suggest a format of responding format (\u2026) after a possible escalation on the part of Russia to introduce a strong sanctions policy,\u201d the state outlet <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ukrinform.net\/rubric-polytics\/3370003-sanctions-must-precede-not-follow-possible-escalation-by-russia-zelensky.html\">Ukrinform<\/a> quoted Zelensky as saying. \u201cHere, it seems to me that we were able to explain to our European colleagues that the sanctions policy following (such escalation \u2013 ed.) won\u2019t matter to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur state is interested in a strong sanctions policy that would precede a possible escalation, and then, I suggest, this escalation might not even occur,\u201d Zelensky added.<\/p>\n<p>In the same press conference, Zelensky suggested he would be open to meeting Russian leader Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUkraine is ready for any format of negotiations with the Russian Federation to resolve this process. We are talking about this openly, and not for the first time,\u201d he told reporters. \u201cThe same will is needed on the part of the Russian Federation to stop the war.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Zelensky <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ukrinform.net\/rubric-polytics\/3369997-ukraine-ready-for-any-format-of-talks-with-russia-zelensky.html\">rejected<\/a>, however, the idea of \u201ca summit for the sake of the summit.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>In 2019, Zelensky <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/europe\/2019\/12\/10\/ukraine-frustrated-zelensky-calls-putin-talks-difficult-putin-says-im-happy\/\">met<\/a>&nbsp;with Putin in person under the watchful eye of President Emmanuel Macron of France and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Zelensky excoriated the meeting, asserting that it achieved \u201cvery little\u201d and that Putin had made talks \u201cvery difficult\u201d on purpose, essentially resulting in a waste of time for all. Two years later, Zelensky <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2021\/04\/28\/zelensky-wants-serious-countries-not-france-germany-ukraine-war-talks\/\">insisted<\/a>&nbsp;he wanted \u201cserious, powerful\u201d countries to help lead negotiations with Russia, suggesting he was done talking to France and Germany.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_12120522\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"38\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Putin-Zelensky.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12120522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Putin-Zelensky.jpg\" alt=\"Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrive for a working session at the Elysee Palace Monday, Dec. 9, 2019 in Paris. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine&#039;s president are meeting for the first time at a summit in Paris to find a way to end the five years of fighting in eastern Ukraine. (Ian Langsdon\/Pool via AP)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrive for a working session at the Elysee Palace Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, in Paris (Ian Langsdon\/Pool via AP)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>As he was in Brussels to discuss ties to the E.U. and NATO, American politics were not the priority for Zelensky. He did offer that he was hopeful Washington would \u201cplay some kind of a role\u201d in bringing peace to eastern Ukraine \u2013 perhaps an extension of his frustration with the E.U. \u2013 but criticized the Biden administration for not taking the ongoing threat of a Russian invasion seriously enough.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am glad that the United States wants to play some kind of a role today. I would like them to play one of the main, not episodic, roles in this peaceful settlement,\u201d Zelensky said. \u201cIf it is difficult to join the Normandy format and maybe it would be wrong, we can walk on a parallel track, we are ready for the tripartite summits, but nothing must be decided regarding Ukraine without Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Biden has given Zelensky very little reason to expect full-throated American support in light of a threat of Russian invasion. For one, Biden was vice president in the administration in power when Russia invaded and colonized Ukraine\u2019s Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Then-President Barack Obama did nothing in response, and Russia is honing in on a decade of occupation in the region. Biden personally, as president, has actively opposed meaningful sanctions on Nord Stream 2, outraging Zelensky.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>This month, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/12\/07\/us-insists-nord-stream-2-pipeline-leverage-against-russia-offensive\/\">said<\/a> the Biden administration would sanction Russia only if it invades Eastern Ukraine, not before, because it needs to maintain the pipeline sanctions as \u201cleverage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen it comes to Nord Stream 2, the fact is the gas is not currently flowing through the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which means that it\u2019s not operating, which means that it\u2019s not leveraged for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,\u201d he asserted. \u201cIt is leverage for the West. If Vladimir Putin wants to see gas flow through that pipeline, he may not want to take the risk of invading Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_9035338\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"32\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Nord-Stream-2-construction-getty.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-9035338\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Nord-Stream-2-construction-getty.jpg\" alt=\"Workers are working on pipes in the production hall at the Nord Stream 2 facility at Mukran on Ruegen Islandon October 19, 2017 in Sassnitz, Germany. Nord Stream is laying a second pair of offshore pipelines in the Baltic Sea between Vyborg in Russia and Greifswald in Germany for the transportation of Russian natural gas to western Europe. An initial pair of pipelines was inaugurated in 2012 and the second pair is due for completion by 2019. A total of 50,000 pipes are currently on hand at Mukran, where they receive a concrete wrapping before being transported out to sea. Russian energy supplier Gazprom, whose board is led by former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, owns a 51% stake in Nord Stream. (Photo by Carsten Koall\/Getty Images)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Carsten Koall\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Biden administration has actively <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/national-security\/bidens-push-sanctions-russias-pipeline-puts-democrats-bind-rcna7263\">opposed<\/a> attempts by Congress to sanction the pipeline and repealed sanctions imposed under President Donald Trump. According to Zelensky, Biden did not alert Ukraine to the latter change in policy when it happened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI found out about it, probably, like everybody else, from the briefing,\u201d Zelensky told Washington, DC, outlet Axios in an extended <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/06\/07\/ukraines-zelensky-unpleasantly-surprised-disappointed-by-biden-pro-putin-policies\/\">rant<\/a> in June.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were very surprised \u2026 it is not very understandable, I feel, and definitely not expected, that the bullets to this weapon [Nord Stream 2] can possibly be provided by such a great country as the United States,\u201d Zelensky continued, \u201cbecause it is an exemplary civilization, an exemplary democracy in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBiden knows Ukraine better than any other previous, former President, and therefore he understands all the issues, and, what\u2019s most important, all the security risks,\u201d Zelensky added, an apparent dig at Biden over longstanding concerns regarding shady business <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2020\/10\/14\/report-feds-had-evidence-of-joe-biden-ukraine-burisma-meeting-since-impeachment-inquiry\/\">dealings<\/a> with Ukrainian oligarchs, who opposed former television comedian Zelensky\u2019s election. \u201cThat is why, again, we were very unpleasantly surprised.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Biden repeatedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/06\/07\/jjoe-biden-snubs-volodymyr-zelensky-plea-for-personal-meeting-before-vladimir-putins\/\">ignored<\/a> Zelensky\u2019s demands to meet with him before meeting with Putin and did not deliver on his promise to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/national-security\/2021\/07\/21\/biden-again-snubs-ukrainian-president-no-july-meeting\/\">meet<\/a> with the Ukrainian president in the summer. When Biden finally had Zelensky visit the White House in September, he insisted on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/09\/01\/joe-biden-offers-climate-dialogue-in-response-to-ukraine-presidents-russian-pipeline-concerns\/\">discussing<\/a> \u201ca new energy and climate dialogue to help Ukraine diversify its energy supplies while supporting our climate goals relating to global warming.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17775186\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" readability=\"34\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Zelensky-and-Biden-Seemingly-Asleep.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17775186\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Zelensky-and-Biden-Seemingly-Asleep.jpg\" alt=\"WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 01: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) meets with U.S. President Joe Biden in the Oval Office at the White House on September 01, 2021 in Washington, DC. This was the two leaders&#039; first face-to-face meeting and the first by a Ukrainian leader in more than four years. (Photo by Doug Mills-Pool\/Getty Images)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) meets with U.S. President Joe Biden in the Oval Office at the White House on September 01, 2021 (Doug Mills-Pool\/Getty Images).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Zelensky&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ZelenskyyUa\/status\/1469037797453570048\">spoke<\/a>&nbsp;to Biden again most recently last week, after Biden engaged in a virtual meeting with Putin.<\/p>\n<p><em>Follow Frances Martel on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1639654455979000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1fRfb_h2E6ZdmFpXjJbORU\">Facebook<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1639654455979000&amp;usg=AOvVaw030ychS5E25vfDOdsWnlWi\">Twitter<\/a><\/em><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Frustrated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters Wednesday that the European Union and Biden administration\u2019s tactic of threatening Russia with sanctions in the event that Moscow invades Ukraine \u201cwon\u2019t matter &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1124724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1124724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1124724"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1124724\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1124724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1124724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1124724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}