The U.S. and Germany are close to reaching an agreement Beixi 2 According to a draft text obtained by Bloomberg, if Russia tries to use energy as a weapon against Ukraine, the pipeline will threaten sanctions and other retaliation.

According to the agreement, if Russia takes such actions, Germany will take unspecified national actions. This decision may mark the concession of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has been reluctant to take independent actions against the Kremlin. Gas pipeline This will run from Russia to Germany.

According to the agreement, if Russia attempts to use energy as a weapon or invade Ukraine, Germany will take action on its own, while also urging the adoption of European-level measures, including sanctions to limit Russia’s energy exports.

When discussing the terms of the agreement, a senior US official who asked not to be named stated that the wording was deliberately vague because the government did not want to provide Russia with a road map to respond to any malicious behavior. The official did not rule out that such actions might include restricting the flow of natural gas from Russia to Germany.

Although hinting at the possibility of restricting the flow of Russian gas, this language will almost certainly disappoint critics-including many American lawmakers-who say that the Biden administration has not done enough to block the pipeline. When President Joe the pipeline Biden has completed more than 90% of his appointment.

They have been looking for a specific language, and Germany has vowed to shut down the flow of natural gas through it. Beixi 2 If Russia tries to improperly influence Ukraine. But Germany has long resisted such moves, saying that such threats will only further politicize Merkel’s insistence that projects are purely business-related.

The Biden administration initially stated that it would try to stop construction, but later changed its approach, saying that it was futile and would only worsen relations with the German government.

“Can we do something with the very bad hands we inherited?” Secretary of State Anthony Brinken said in an interview with German “Der Spiegel” last month. “Because it is, President Biden has long said that this pipeline is a bad idea. It may become a tool for Russia’s economic and strategic coercion. This tool can be used not only against Ukraine, but also against Europe as a whole. This has increased dependence on Russian natural gas to a certain extent.”

The agreement is expected to be finalized within a few days before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visits the United States. Counselor Derek Cholet of the State Department arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday to discuss the pipeline that Ukraine opposed, and then went to Poland, which also opposed the project.

According to the draft agreement, the United States and Germany will seek to promote up to $1 billion in investment in so-called green funds to help Ukraine transition to cleaner energy. The text stated that Germany will commit to invest 175 million U.S. dollars in the fund.

Germany will also appoint a special envoy — providing US$70 million in funding — to support bilateral energy projects with Ukraine.

Finally, the agreement promises that Germany will use leverage to extend the natural gas transit agreement between Ukraine and Russia for 10 years after it expires in 2024. These negotiations will start no later than September 1.

On July 15, 2021, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joe Biden at a press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington. [File: Susan Walsh/AP Photo]

The position of the Kremlin

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the emerging virtue agreement. The Kremlin has long denied allegations of using energy supplies as a political weapon and has defended the Beixi 2 project as a purely commercial project. Russia has said that after the current transit contract expires, it will consider using Ukraine to supply gas to Europe, but only if Kiev provides attractive terms.

Progress was made after months of negotiations and Merkel’s visit to the White House last week. At a joint press conference, the two leaders stated that they agreed to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from abusing the pipeline for political gain, despite differences in their assessment of the pipeline’s intentions.

Biden said: “Prime Minister Merkel and I are fully consistent and firmly believe that Russia cannot be allowed to use energy as a weapon to coerce or threaten neighboring countries.” “If Russia does not respect Ukraine’s right to be a transit country, we will take active actions. “

Merkel said in her speech, “We have many documents, most of which are not in Germany, but at the European level, we can implement”, and Germany “is negotiating with our European friends.”

Earlier this year, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on the Swiss parent company Nord Stream 2 AG, which was building the pipeline, but immediately dropped the sanctions. U.S. officials said that as they continue to negotiate with Berlin, the sanctions are waived to provide space for them to conduct diplomatic discussions.