{"id":1243748,"date":"2022-01-26T15:23:04","date_gmt":"2022-01-26T20:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1243748"},"modified":"2022-01-26T15:23:20","modified_gmt":"2022-01-26T20:23:20","slug":"biden-ignored-torrent-of-warnings-that-lifting-sanctions-on-russia-could-lead-to-more-war-in-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-ignored-torrent-of-warnings-that-lifting-sanctions-on-russia-could-lead-to-more-war-in-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden Ignored Torrent of Warnings That Lifting Sanctions on Russia Could Lead to More War in Ukraine"},"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\">34<\/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%2Fbiden-ignored-torrent-of-warnings-that-lifting-sanctions-on-russia-could-lead-to-more-war-in-ukraine%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=1243748&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\"><span>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly asked President Joe Biden to impose sanctions on Russia before an invasion begins, and has been denied every time. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Last summer, Zelensky warned Biden the risk of invasion would soar if sanctions were lifted on Vladimir Putin\u2019s Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but that warning was ignored.<\/span><\/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><span>Zelensky <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/06\/07\/ukraines-zelensky-unpleasantly-surprised-disappointed-by-biden-pro-putin-policies\/\">said<\/a> in a <\/span><span>June interview<\/span><span> that he was \u201cunpleasantly surprised\u201d by Biden\u2019s unwillingness to continue the Trump administration\u2019s opposition to Nord Stream 2, an $11 billion <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2022\/1\/25\/ukraine-russia-what-is-nord-steam-2-and-why-is-it-contentious\"><span>pipeline project<\/span><\/a><span> running across the Baltic Sea from Siberia to Germany. The pipeline is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/german-regulator-says-nord-stream-2-launch-not-expected-h1-2022-2021-12-16\/\"><span>scheduled<\/span><\/a><span> to become operational sometime in the second half of 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The pipeline will double the amount of gas Russia\u2019s state energy company Gazprom can ship to Europe \u2013 and it bypasses current shipping routes that run through Ukraine. Transit fees for those shipments represent about $2 billion in annual revenue for Ukraine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>One reason the Trump administration opposed Nord Stream 2 is that it gives Russia enough economic leverage over Europe, and especially Germany, to realign the politics of the entire continent. Those warnings were prescient, as Germany is clearly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/01\/25\/germany-is-a-pathetic-excuse-for-a-us-ally\/\"><span>drifting away<\/span><\/a><span> from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/01\/25\/world\/europe\/germany-russia-nato-ukraine.html\"><span>moving<\/span><\/a><span> increasingly into Russia\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/tass.com\/economy\/1392831\"><span>political orbit<\/span><\/a><span>. France <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2022\/jan\/26\/nato-allies-policy-russia-ukraine-analysis\"><span>may not<\/span><\/a><span> be far behind.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>In June, Zelensky warned Nord Stream 2 is a potent geopolitical \u201cweapon in the hands of the Russian Federation,\u201d and said he was baffled by Biden\u2019s seeming inability to appreciate the danger.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_17119706\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/GettyImages-1233447259.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17119706\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/GettyImages-1233447259.png\" alt=\"Volodymyr Zelensky\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky talks to journalists in his office in Kiev on June 14, 2021 (SERGEI SUPINSKY\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>\u201cI believe that even if there was only one percent left, it would still be possible to stop such a serious leverage that Russia will have in the future to influence energy security and Europe in general, including Ukraine. Even if there was only one percent left, it just needs to be done,\u201d he urged.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19637618\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2022\/01\/AP22025654700448.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-19637618 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/AP22025654700448-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt=\"German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during a media conference with French President Emmanuel Macronhead of their meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. German and French leaders are meeting in Berlin over the Ukraine crisis and other European issues. (Tobias Schwarz\/Pool Photo via AP, File)\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. (Tobias Schwarz\/Pool Photo via AP)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>\u201cMoreover, everything is now in the U.S. President\u2019s hands only, and I am sure that he is aware of that, and his team is aware of that, they know that,\u201d he insisted.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<div id=\"attachment_17638114\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Putin-1.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-17638114\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Putin-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Russian President Vladimir Putin takes part in a virtual meeting with leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation to discuss the situation in Afghanistan in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. (Evgeniy Paulin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021. (Evgeniy Paulin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Zelensky pronounced himself first angry, and then \u201cdisappointed,\u201d by Biden\u2019s opposition to sanctions on Nord Stream 2 and grimly mused that American was preparing to sacrifice untold Ukrainian lives to preserve its relationship with the pipeline\u2019s client, Germany.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>In December, Zelensky <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/International\/wireStory\/eu-hit-russia-sanctions-ukraine-attacked-81763708\"><span>stressed<\/span><\/a><span> that sanctions should be applied <\/span><span>before Russian leader Vladimir Putin<\/span><span>&nbsp;sends tanks rumbling across the border because the Russian strongman thinks the sanctions threat is a bluff, and even if he does suffer some economic repercussions for invading Ukraine, he can tough it out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cFor us, it is important to have sanctions applied before, rather than after, the conflict would happen, because if they were applied after the conflict would happen, this would basically make them meaningless,\u201d Zelensky said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe have war going on for eight years. We understand that only if the sanctions are applied prior to the armed conflict would they become a prevention mechanism for any possible escalation,\u201d he argued.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p><span>On Wednesday, the Kremlin <\/span><span>explicitly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/europe\/russia-says-destructive-sanctions-wouldnt-hurt-putin-personally-2022-01-26\/\"><span>stated<\/span><\/a><span> Putin was prepared to withstand punitive sanctions, dismissing them as \u201cnot painful\u201d but \u201cpolitically destructive.\u201d Putin drove the point home by wrangling Italian business leaders into a conference call despite pleas from their government to snub him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The <\/span><span>Peterson Institute for International Economics<\/span><span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.piie.com\/blogs\/realtime-economic-issues-watch\/europe-faces-tough-choices-nord-stream-2-if-russia-invades\">argued<\/a> last week that Nord Stream 2 makes <\/span><span>Putin <\/span><span>the one who can dictate foreign policy for Europe by threatening sanctions, given Europe\u2019s energy crisis and its appetite for cheaper gas.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>European gas production is dwindling at the exact moment the European Union (EU) is emerging from pandemic slowdowns and ramping other industries up. The International Energy Agency (IEA) accused Russia of deliberately reducing shipments to Europe at the end of 2021 to make the gas crunch worse and increase Russian economic leverage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Nord Stream 2 would take Ukraine out of the equation, giving Putin both the ability to threaten 20 percent or more of Europe\u2019s electrical generation capacity <\/span><span>and <\/span><span>argue that wrecking Ukraine will not jeopardize the flow of gas into the continent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The <\/span><span>Center for Security Policy<\/span><span> (CSP) <a href=\"https:\/\/centerforsecuritypolicy.org\/nord-stream-2-leaves-europe-vulnerable-to-moscow\/\">noted<\/a> in 2019 that Russia has not been shy about manipulating gas supplies and prices to influence Ukrainian politics, and Nord Stream 2 will vastly increase Moscow\u2019s leverage over Kyiv \u2013 essentially giving Putin the power to wipe out 3 percent of Ukraine\u2019s GDP with the flip of a switch, at minimal cost to either Russia or Europe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIf Moscow shuts off gas supply one winter will Germany, as a NATO member, be any more capable of fighting price hikes or political demands than Ukraine was? Freezing citizens and irate businessmen will likely motivate German politicians to cede whatever necessary to turn heat back on. NATO military strength will be entirely irrelevant,\u201d CSP predicted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Biden tried <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/328084fe-f95f-4283-b35a-f07448c5c69f\"><span>warning<\/span><\/a><span> Putin<\/span><span> in December that invading Ukraine could scuttle the Nord Stream 2 project but, to put it mildly, those warnings do not appear to have ruffled any Russian feathers. As noted above, Putin has missed no opportunity to demonstrate that Nord Stream 2 is a reason for the Europeans to indulge him, not a reason for them to oppose him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Former European Council president and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in November <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/nord-stream-2-pipeline-angela-merkels-biggest-mistake-says-donald-tusk\/a-59963553\"><span>called<\/span><\/a><span> Nord Stream 2 a \u201cbad project\u201d from the EU perspective and the biggest mistake of outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel\u2019s career.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI\u2019ve done everything I could to make the EU less reliant on Russian gas, including establishing an energy union,\u201d Tusk complained.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee wrote a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/gop-foreignaffairs.house.gov\/press-release\/mccaul-leads-house-republicans-in-expressing-concern-over-implementation-plans-for-nord-stream-2-sanctions\/\"><span>letter<\/span><\/a><span> to Biden in March, warning that sanctions should have been increased to match the administration\u2019s tough talk against Nord Stream 2 \u2013 a project Biden himself once <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.euractiv.com\/section\/global-europe\/news\/white-house-says-biden-believes-nord-stream-2-pipeline-is-bad-deal-for-europe\/\"><span>described<\/span><\/a><span> as a \u201cbad deal for Europe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The House letter called on Biden to coordinate with the Ukrainian government and heed its warnings about the pipeline.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cIt is a Russian malign influence project that threatens to deepen Europe\u2019s energy dependence on Russia and, consequently, enhance the Putin regime\u2019s ability to exert political pressure throughout Europe. It would also allow the Putin regime to bypass Ukraine in exporting natural gas to Western Europe, decoupling the security of Ukraine from broader European security and rendering Kyiv more vulnerable to Russian aggression,\u201d the Republicans wrote.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cNord Stream 2 is always an elephant in the room. It looms large over anything to do with Russia, Germany and Ukraine,\u201d an unnamed U.S. official <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/d1ed75b0-338f-42f8-836b-f94cb00670ca\">admitted<\/a> to the <\/span><i><span>Financial Times<\/span><\/i> <span>in December. That does not sound like the realists in the administration think the pipeline is a cudgel gripped firmly in <\/span><i><span>their <\/span><\/i><span>hands. As the Ukrainians warned, it was a terrible mistake to let that elephant sit in the room while their fate was decided.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly asked President Joe Biden to impose sanctions on Russia before an invasion begins, and has been denied every time. Last summer, Zelensky warned &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"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-1243748","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\/1243748","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1243748"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1243748\/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=1243748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1243748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1243748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}