U.S. President Joe Biden reaffirmed Monday that a joint gas pipeline project between Germany and Russia won't advance if Russia "invades" Ukraine, stopping short of explaining how it will be achieved if Germany has reservations for that decision as a deterrence against Moscow.

With visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz standing next to him, Biden told a press conference at the White House that if Russian tanks and troops cross the border and enter Ukraine, "there will be no longer Nord Stream 2," referring to the now-finished pipeline delivering natural gas from Russia to Germany that bypasses Ukraine.