Romney Statement on Nord Stream 2 Pipeline

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) today released the following statement regarding the Nord Stream 2 pipeline:

“If the United States is going to be successful in deterring Putin’s aggression and maintaining peace, we must be united—both at home and with our European allies and partners. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline is detrimental to that end—giving Putin more leverage than he already had over Ukraine, making Western Europe more dependent on Russia, and preventing the U.S. from maintaining a united front with our partners. But let us not forget why this all matters: Russia is trying to blackmail Europe while playing a victim. Putin has amassed over a hundred thousand troops at the border of the Ukraine, all the while manipulating Europe’s energy supply. He has done so after a long history of breaking treaties, invasions, illegal annexations, and assassinations.

“No country—certainly no adversary—gets to dictate which countries can be part of NATO by employing the threat of military force. It is time for the Administration to take urgent steps to push back against Russian aggression. I stand ready to work with my colleagues to support their efforts, which should include providing aid quickly to Ukraine and taking steps to strengthen NATO’s position in Eastern Europe.”