Ukraine’s President Says Biden Handed Putin a ‘Weapon’ By Caving On Pipeline
District of Columbia, International | June 8, 2021
Ukraine’s president accused the Biden administration of handing a “weapon” to the Kremlin by allowing the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which Russian president Vladimir Putin hopes to use to build influence in Europe.
“This is a weapon, a real weapon … in the hands of the Russian Federation,” Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with Axios that aired Sunday. “It is not very understandable … that the bullets to this weapon can possibly be provided by such a great country as the United States.”
Zelensky told Axios that he learned through press reports last month that Biden had decided to waive sanctions against European companies helping build the pipeline. He said that Biden had previously given him indications that he would not allow the completion of the pipeline, which will transport gas directly from Russia to Germany.
U.S. and Ukrainian officials are concerned that Nord Stream 2, which is owned by Russian gas giant Gazprom, will give Putin more leverage over Ukraine and other Eastern European countries that the pipeline bypasses. Biden’s decision conflicts with his past claims to adamantly support Ukraine and oppose Putin. As vice president, Biden served as the Obama administration’s chief liaison to Ukraine following the ouster of Viktor Yanukovych, its pro-Russia leader…
(Excerpts from the Washington Free Beacon)