Nord Stream 2: why Ukraine has a right to be disappointed but still has a chance

Photo: Rubryka

Yuriy Izhenko

And although the agenda of the visits is unknown, there's no doubt that the conversation will be about the Russian gas pipeline, North Stream 2, bypassing Ukraine. Because Angela Merkel lobbied for its completion, and Joe Biden refused to impose new sanctions (on July 21, the leaders of the United States and Germany even signed an agreement).

So we remind you why Ukraine (and not only) is against this agreement, what we were promised, and whether there's a chance to change it.

Joe Biden's decision has been criticized at home and abroad…

Not only Ukrainians were dissatisfied. A "political storm" erupted in the United States, with representatives of both the Republican and Democratic camps accusing Biden of "betrayal" (although events in Afghanistan will clearly push everything to the background).

Of course, we hear the loudest outrage from Republicans. For example, Senator Jim Barrasso says the pipeline "will give Russia more money while Russia increases its hostilities [against the West]" and "removes safeguards for more active Russian military aggression in Ukraine" (these are, by the way, key arguments of critics).

However, Democrats, Biden's allies, such as Jeanne Shaheen or Tim Kane, oppose the project. Another Democrat, Bob Menendez, along with lawmakers from Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, Britain, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Ireland, signed a letter calling Nord Stream a threat. Well, the criticism from Kyiv and Warsaw has been known for a long time.

But what's unknown is whether US senators will dare to pass a sanctions law through Congress by putting pressure on Biden (and risking a political crisis in the United States).