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Nord Stream 2 pipeline a sanctions option if Russia invades Ukraine: German envoy

Jan 28, 2022 | 2:25 PM

OTTAWA — Germany’s ambassador to Canada says a controversial gas pipeline that links to Russia beneath the Baltic Sea could be part of a broader package of sanctions should Russia invade Ukraine.

Ambassador Sabine Sparwasser says her government is not above including Nord Stream 2 on a menu of retaliatory economic measures against Moscow.

The lucrative Russian gas pipeline project that winds through the Baltics connecting to Germany is not yet operational, and it has faced strong opposition from the United States and Ukraine.

But with 100,000 Russian troops massing on Ukraine’s borders, the U.S. and its European allies are showing much greater unanimity on including Nord Stream 2 in a fresh set sanctions in the event Russia invades.

Sparwasser says that when it comes to a possible invasion or attack on Ukraine, everything is on the table, and that includes the Nord Stream project.

Sparwasser says that Canada and Germany are co-operating closely on possible sanctions as members of NATO and the G7.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2022.

Mike Blanchfield, The Canadian Press