The U.S. State Department is vowing to block the Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Russia and Germany from moving forward if Russia invades Ukraine.

"I want to be very clear: If Russia invades Ukraine, one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward," spokesperson Ned Price said Wednesday.

"I'm not going to get into the specifics," he told NPR. "We will work with Germany to ensure it does not move forward."

Germany appears to back the tougher U.S. position. Emily Haber, its ambassador to the U.S., posted on Twitter: "The U.S. and Germany jointly declared last summer: if Russia uses energy as a weapon or if there is another violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, Russia will have to pay a high price."

She noted that Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock have said that "nothing will be off the table, including Nord Stream 2."
Europe's most divisive energy project, Nord Stream 2 is designed to double the amount of gas flowing from Russia straight to Germany, bypassing traditional transit nation Ukraine, on the bed of the Baltic Sea.

It has faced resistance within the European Union, from the United States as well as Ukraine on the grounds it increases Europe's energy dependence on Russia and denies Ukraine transit fees, at a time of Moscow's broader standoff with the West.