Nord Stream 2 Ceased on Day Trump Signed Sanctions, Resumed 4 Days After Biden Took Office

On December 8, 2021, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) questioned Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing about the Biden administration’s decision to waive sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Cruz argued that the pipeline’s construction timeline proved that Trump-era sanctions had been effective in halting the project, and that Biden’s decision to waive those sanctions had directly contributed to the growing military threat from Russia against Ukraine.

“For two years we had bipartisan agreement to stop Nord Stream 2, and we succeeded,” Cruz said. “And when there was a Republican president in office, Donald Trump, I and other Republicans were perfectly willing to hold President Trump to account, to press him to stand up against Nord Stream 2 — and he did.”

The Timeline Cruz Presented

Cruz laid out a detailed timeline to make his case. He noted that he had co-authored the Nord Stream 2 sanctions legislation with Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen. The bill passed in December 2019, when over 90 percent of the pipeline had already been completed.

“Putin stopped building the pipeline the day President Trump signed that bill into law. Not the next day, not the next week, that day,” Cruz said. “The sanctions worked exactly as designed. And for over a year, nothing happened. The pipeline was a hunk of metal at the bottom of the ocean.”

Cruz argued that a 90 percent complete pipeline was effectively a zero percent complete pipeline “until you connect it and turn it on.” He then pointed to the critical date: Joe Biden was sworn in as president on January 20, 2021. Four days later, on January 24, 2021, Putin resumed construction of the pipeline.

“So we had succeeded with a bipartisan victory stopping this pipeline until Joe Biden and Kamala Harris came into office and gave away our leverage and surrendered,” Cruz said.

The Ukraine Security Argument

Cruz connected the Nord Stream 2 pipeline directly to the growing Russian military buildup on Ukraine’s border. He explained that Putin had invaded Crimea in 2014 but stopped short of advancing on Kyiv, in large part because Russia’s natural gas exports to Europe depended on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

“He could not risk damaging or destroying the ability to get Russian gas to Europe,” Cruz said. “Nord Stream 2 was launched shortly after that initial Crimea invasion, because if Putin can get an alternative means of getting gas to Europe, he can send the tanks into Kiev without fear of damaging his ability to get to market.”

Cruz cited a formal statement from Ukraine and Poland, issued on July 21, 2021, which said the Biden administration’s decision to waive sanctions “has created political, military, and energy threat for Ukraine and central Europe.”

With approximately 100,000 Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s border at the time of the hearing, Cruz argued that the situation was “entirely preventable” and was “the direct consequence of political decisions made by Joe Biden.”

The Exchange with Nuland

Cruz pressed Nuland on whether President Biden had the authority to reimpose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG, the company behind the pipeline. Nuland confirmed that “the waiver is currently in place. It could be lifted, yes.”

When Cruz asked whether Nord Stream 2 going online would make a Russian invasion of Ukraine more or less likely, Nuland initially deflected, noting that the German government had paused the pipeline’s certification process. She stated that the Biden administration believed the pipeline was “a bad deal for Europe and a bad pipeline” but said she did not believe sanctions action on Nord Stream 2 “would have changed Putin’s calculus with regard to the buildup we have around Ukraine today.”

“I believe he has an ambition to have control of Ukraine,” Nuland said when pressed further.

Cruz pushed back sharply: “He didn’t do that until the Biden administration waived sanctions. From 2014 until today, he hasn’t done that, and it was exactly what Ukraine and Poland warned us, that when this president surrendered to Putin, it would create a security crisis in Ukraine. That’s what it’s done.”

Cruz also noted that the predicted date for a Russian invasion closely aligned with when the pipeline’s certification process was expected to conclude. “I don’t think it’s coincidental that the predicted date for an invasion is almost exactly when certification is predicted to be over. I don’t think that’s accidental,” he said.

Key Takeaways

Senator Ted Cruz presented a timeline showing that Nord Stream 2 construction stopped the day Trump signed bipartisan sanctions into law in December 2019, and resumed just four days after Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021.
Cruz argued that Biden’s decision to waive Nord Stream 2 sanctions directly created the security crisis in Ukraine, citing warnings from both Ukraine and Poland that were issued in July 2021.
Under Secretary Nuland confirmed Biden could reimpose sanctions but said she did not believe it would change Putin’s calculus regarding Ukraine, a position Cruz rejected.
With 100,000 Russian troops on Ukraine’s border at the time of the hearing, Cruz called the situation “entirely preventable” and the “direct consequence” of Biden’s pipeline decision.

Full Transcript

The following is transcribed from the video audio:

Or the Democratic talking points, which are, number one, the vast majority of the pipeline was completed under Donald Trump. Well, yes, that happens to be true. It was completed before the sanctions legislation passed. I authored the sanctions legislation along with Senator Shaheen on this committee. Sanctions legislation passed in December of 2019. December of 2019. Over 90% of the pipeline was completed. And what happened? Putin stopped building the pipeline the day President Trump signed that bill into law. Not the next day, not the next week, that day. The sanctions worked exactly as designed. And for over a year, nothing happened. The pipeline was a hunk of metal at the bottom of the ocean. So an over 90% complete pipeline is a 0% complete pipeline until you connect it and turn it on.

When did Putin begin constructing the pipeline? Joe Biden was sworn in as president on January 20, 2021. Four days later, January 24, 2021 is when Putin began building the pipeline again. So we had succeeded with a bipartisan victory stopping this pipeline until Joe Biden and Kamala Harris came into office and gave away our leverage and surrendered.

Secretary Nuland, is it true or false that if President Biden decided to, he could sanction Nord Stream 2 AG today? The waiver is currently in place. It could be lifted, yes. If Nord Stream 2 goes online and is operational, does that make an invasion of Ukraine more likely or less likely? Nord Stream 2 is not currently on track to become operational. If it does, I’m asking a hypothetical. If Nord Stream 2 goes online, I don’t think it’s coincidental that the predicted date for an invasion is almost exactly when certification is predicted to be over. I don’t think that’s accidental. So my question is this, if Nord Stream 2 goes online, does that make invasion of Ukraine more likely or less likely? I believe that President Putin will make his decisions with regard to Ukraine, irregardless of what happens to Nord Stream 2. I believe he has an aspiration to have control of Ukraine. Well, but he didn’t do that until the Biden administration waived sanctions. From 2014 until today, he hasn’t done that, and it was exactly what Ukraine and Poland warned us, that when this president surrendered to Putin, it would create a security crisis in Ukraine, that’s what it’s done.

Secretary Nuland, we’re here in a circumstance that neither you nor I wanted to be here. Sadly, what you predicted to this committee, what I predicted to this committee, and indeed what members on both sides of the aisles knew might happen, appears to be happening. We have some 100,000 Russian troops massed on the border of Ukraine, and according to declassified documents from the Biden administration, the odds are significant that we will see a military invasion of Ukraine by Russia in the next 90 days. This was entirely preventable. This disaster is the direct consequence of political decisions made by Joe Biden. One decision in particular caused this disaster, and it was the decision to throw away our national security victory on Nord Stream 2, and instead to hand Vladimir Putin a multi-billion dollar generational gift.

Now, just a moment ago with Senator Markey, you were asked what are the Democratic talking points, which are, number one, the vast majority of the pipeline was completed under Donald Trump. Well, yes, that happens to be true. It was completed before the sanctions legislation passed. I authored the sanctions legislation along with Senator Shaheen on this committee. Sanctions legislation passed in December of 2019. December of 2019, over 90% of the pipeline was completed. And what happened? Putin stopped building the pipeline the day President Trump signed that bill into law. Not the next day, not the next week, that day. The sanctions worked exactly as designed. And for over a year, nothing happened. The pipeline was a hunk of metal at the bottom of the ocean, so an over 90% complete pipeline is a 0% complete pipeline until you connect it and turn it on.

Now why does that matter? Vladimir Putin didn’t wake up yesterday and decide he wanted to invade Ukraine. He has wanted to do that for a long time, and indeed he has. In 2014, he invaded Ukraine, he invaded Crimea, but he stopped. He didn’t go all the way to Kiev, and one of the major reasons why is because of the Ukrainian energy infrastructure, that he could not risk damaging or destroying the ability to get Russian gas to Europe. Nord Stream 2 was launched shortly after that initial Crimea invasion, because if Putin can get an alternative means of getting gas to Europe, he can send the tanks into Kiev without fear of damaging his ability to get to market.

This summer, when Joe Biden gave away a massive bipartisan foreign policy victory, our allies Ukraine and Poland put out a formal statement on July 21, saying the Biden administration surrendered to Putin, quote, has created political, military, and energy threat for Ukraine and central Europe. They were right. We are seeing this threat today.

Now here’s the good news. The administration in which you serve, and I will note, you argued to do the right thing. You were overruled by your political superiors in the White House. But the Biden administration can still do the right thing. Secretary Nuland, is it true or false that if President Biden decided to, he could sanction Nord Stream 2 AG today? The waiver is currently in place. It could be lifted, yes. So he could sanction then today.

Let me ask you a question. If the Biden administration imposed sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG, if it halted the certification of the pipeline so that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline did not go online, would that make invasion of Ukraine more likely or less likely? Senator, it’s the German government that has paused the certification of the pipeline itself right now. That certification is not going forward. You know that we believe this pipeline is a bad deal for Europe and a bad pipeline, but I do not believe that anything we would have done with regard to Nord Stream 2 would have changed Putin’s calculus with regard to the buildup we have around Ukraine today. I believe he has an ambition to have…

So let me ask you another way. If Nord Stream 2 goes online and is operational, does that make an invasion of Ukraine more likely or less likely? Nord Stream 2 is not currently on track to become operational. If it does, I’m asking a hypothetical. If Nord Stream 2 goes online, I don’t think it’s coincidental that the predicted date for an invasion is almost exactly when certification is predicted to be over. I don’t think that’s accidental. So my question is this. If Nord Stream 2 goes online, does that make invasion of Ukraine more likely or less likely? I believe that President Putin will make his decisions with regard to Ukraine, irregardless of what happens to Nord Stream 2. I believe he has an aspiration to have control of Ukraine. Well, but he didn’t do that until the Biden administration waived sanctions. From 2014 until today, he hasn’t done that, and it was exactly what Ukraine and Poland warned us, that when this president surrendered to Putin, it would create a security crisis in Ukraine. That’s what it’s done.

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