In May 2021, the Biden administration waived sanctions on the company building the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline. US Congress concluded that the sanctions were not in their national interest and have adopted a different approach to what some have called a ‘geopolitical prize’ for the Kremlin. Critics have argued that the US is prioritising relations with Germany over European security, just as Germany has privileged its own interests over Ukraine’s security. But what will the seemingly inevitable completion of Nord Stream 2 mean for Ukrainian security? Will it embolden the Kremlin to launch further military build-ups or even accelerate its ongoing war on Ukraine? 

The Henry Jackson Society was delighted to host this event, which also placed the Nord Stream 2 project within the broader picture of energy security in Europe. Russia is the dominant gas supplier for several East European countries: Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia each receive between 75 and 100 percent of their natural gas imports from Russia. Can Russia be relied upon as an energy partner? During this event, our speakers discussed these questions and the implications for European security of Russia’s dominance over energy supplies.