Europe says Ukraine stance depends on dialogue, not US: France

• 

According to the French Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, the European position on the Ukraine issue as well as others, is not dependent on the US but rather on dialogue. 

Le Maire told Inter that "The Europeans, thanks especially to President of the Republic [Emmanuel Macron], have an independent position on Ukraine and different interests from the Americans. And it needs to be made clear to our American allies that we have different interests in this crisis. Our goal is not threats, not confrontation, but dialogue and de-escalation."

Le Maire also spoke of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as the main component of de-escalation of tensions in the Russia-Ukraine borders.

Biden threatens: No gas pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine

President Joe Biden met with Germany's new leader on Monday in a flurry of diplomacy across two continents, vowing to block the crucial Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline if "Russia invades Ukraine."

However, Russian President Vladimir Putin retorted that the US and its allies are the only ones talking about an invasion.

Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Moscow for more than five hours at the same time as Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke at the White House in an attempt to defuse the crisis before it escalates into an armed conflict.

Stressing the importance of the pipeline launch to both Russia and Europe, Le Maire expressed that “It is not the United States but Europe that will have to face the consequences of a conflict in Ukraine in terms electricity prices. The opening of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is one of the key points of the negotiation and without doubt one of the key points of the way out of crisis with Russia."