Germany has taken steps to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday, as the West started taking punitive measures against Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.
The undersea pipeline, meant to ferry natural gas directly from Russia to northern Germany, is owned by a subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned Gazprom. Berlin has previously been reluctant to impose sanctions that would affect Nord Stream 2.
According to the report by AP, Scholz told reporters in Berlin that his government was taking the measure on Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in response to Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline project bringing natural gas from Russia to Germany has long been criticized by the United States and some European countries who argue that it increases Europe’s reliance on Russian energy supplies.
Scholz said that the government had decided to “reassess” the certification of the pipeline, which hasn’t begun operating yet, in light of the latest developments.
“That will certainly take time, if I may say so,” he said.
Meanwhile, Russian troops were filmed on Monday night entering separatist regions in Ukraine as the country teeters for a potential Russian invasion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had directed on a live TV broadcast ordering his troops to enter the rebel-held areas of Donetsk and Luhansk to perform so-called “peacekeeping” in both regions.