Biden's early Christmas gift to Putin

Rapid Response

We should now all agree that Biden lifting sanctions on the Russian Nord Stream 2 pipeline was a terrible idea.

In response to Russia’s recent aggression, the Biden administration is reportedly exploring options to shut down Nord Stream 2 if Russia invades Ukraine.

If only Biden hadn’t emboldened Putin by handing him all of the leverage when he lifted sanctions on Nord Stream 2 in the first place! As reported by Axios after Biden lifted sanctions, “the completion of Nord Stream 2 would be a huge geopolitical win for Putin and give him substantial new leverage in Europe.”

New: The Biden administration last month quietly exempted from mandatory sanctions a Russia-backed vessel—called the "Blue Ship"—involved in the process to win regulatory approval of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. @NRO https://t.co/c7X1h9jRQ3
— Jimmy Quinn (@james_t_quinn) December 6, 2021

Our European partners tried to warn him:

In 2016, eight EU countries – the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Lithuania – signed a letter objecting to the Nord Stream 2 project.
In 2021, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly – 581 to 50 – to block work on the pipeline.
Poland’s government spokesman Piotr Muller said Biden’s move “is definitely not positive from the security point of view, as we know perfectly that Nord Stream 2 is not only a business project – it is mostly a geopolitical project.”
The Ukrainian parliament overwhelmingly backed a resolution calling on U.S. lawmakers to override Biden’s decision to waive sanctions.

But Biden didn’t listen. Now Putin has all the leverage.