Russia has complained that the West, at the urging of the United States, is using the controversial Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea pipeline as a “mechanism” in the Ukraine conflict.

"Unfortunately, this is a reflection of the existing realities in Europe and in NATO," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in Moscow on Wednesday, according to the Interfax news agency.

"It's a political circus run by the West." The EU and NATO didn't even try to balance their own long-term interests.

At a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, American President Joe Biden made it clear that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would mean the end of the line that had already been completed.

Scholz only promised: "We will act in full agreement on the sanctions." It is still unclear when Nord Stream 2 from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea will go into operation.

Referring to letters in response from NATO and the United States to Moscow's demands for security guarantees, Ryabkov said Russia was still examining them.

"We are preparing our response." President Vladimir Putin will make an "appropriate decision".

For example, Moscow wants to prevent further eastward expansion of NATO and Ukraine's inclusion in the military alliance.

NATO and Washington have already dismissed key Russian concerns.

In view of reports of a massive deployment of soldiers on Russian territory near Ukraine, the West has been warning of a possible invasion for weeks.

Moscow denies that. However, it is also considered possible that the Russian side wants to stir up fears in order to persuade NATO to make concessions on demands for security guarantees.

Ryabkov once again criticized arms deliveries from the West to Ukraine.

This is an attempt to put additional political pressure on Russia.

Offer of talks to Moscow

After a top-level meeting on Tuesday evening in the Berlin Chancellery, Germany, France and Poland declared their willingness to "participate constructively in substantial and result-oriented talks on security issues of mutual interest".

At the same time, Scholz and the two Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Andrej Duda made it clear that "any further military aggression by Russia against Ukraine will have massive consequences and will have a high price".

Scholz called the Russian troop deployment on the border with Ukraine "very worrying".

Similar to Macron, he emphasized: "Our common goal is to prevent a war in Europe." Nevertheless, Russia must be aware that an invasion of the former Soviet republic would have "political, economic and certainly geostrategic consequences".

Duda spoke of the "most difficult situation in which NATO and the EU have found themselves since 1989", the year the wall fell.

Referring to the Russian troop deployment, he said: "We are all wondering what will happen afterwards.

What effect will this movement of troops have that the world and Europe have not seen since World War II?”