Ukraine crisis: Nord Stream 2 pipeline could be abandoned, US warns

If Russia invades Ukraine, the US has threatened to delay the opening of a vital pipeline that would transport Russian gas to Western Europe.

Nord Stream 2 would flow from Russia to Germany, and Berlin authorities cautioned on Thursday that if Russia attacks, the project might face penalties.

Western partners have said that if Russia invades, they will target its economy, and the recent remarks indicate a hardening of their attitude on the profitable pipeline.

Russia denies that such strike is in the works.

However, the recent deployment of tens of thousands of Russian troops along Ukraine's borders has heightened tensions and raised fears of an invasion.

"Let me be clear: if Russia invades Ukraine in any way, Nord Stream 2 will not proceed," US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told NPR.

However, he noted that he would "not get into the intricacies" of how it would be stopped, and it is unclear whether the US would have the authority to terminate the project.

Mr Price stated, "We will cooperate with Germany to ensure that it does not proceed forward."

While the US insisted on halting the pipeline's construction entirely, Germany only stated that it would not rule out placing sanctions on the project.

Annalena Baerbock, the country's foreign minister, told parliament that Western allies were "working on a significant package of sanctions" that would cover "aspects including Nord Stream 2."

She did say, though, that she preferred to "maintain the communication" with Moscow.

Her remarks come after German Ambassador to the United States Emily Haber tweeted that if Russia attacked "Ukraine's sovereignty," "nothing will be off the table, including Nord Stream 2."

The pipeline, which runs for 1,225 kilometres (760 miles), took five years to develop and cost $11 billion (£8 billion). The energy project, which would run beneath the Baltic Sea, aims to increase Russia's gas supplies to Germany by a factor of two.

However, it has yet to begin operations, as regulators stopped its approval in November after determining that it did not conform with German law.

Nord Stream 2, which is led by former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, has attracted significant investment from major European companies. Many groups, however, are opposed to the plan.

Environmentalists wonder how it will fit into Germany's attempts to reduce emissions and combat climate change, while politicians at home and abroad worry that it will increase Europe's reliance on Russian energy.

The pipeline has previously been criticized by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "dangerous geopolitical weapon."