Germany on Tuesday put on ice the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline in response to Moscow’s recognition of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, finally halting the 10-billion-euro project that has long irked allies.
Berlin had over the years doggedly pursued the pipeline which was set to double natural gas import capacity from Russia, despite opposition from the United States and Eastern Europe which fear it would leave the continent too dependent upon Russian energy.
Through controversies that had weighed on German-Russian ties — from the poisoning of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny to several spying scandals to a series of cyberattacks, the German government had pushed on with the project, which was finally completed last year and was awaiting regulatory approval.
But hours after Putin’s decision on recognising separatists in eastern Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Tuesday he had asked for the approval process to be halted, despite a severe energy crisis that has sent gas prices soaring in Europe.
“That sounds technical, but it is the necessary administrative step so there can be no certification of the pipeline and without this certification, Nord Stream 2 cannot begin operating,” he said.
The White House immediately hailed the decision, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called it “a morally, politically and practically correct step in the current circumstances”.
Meanwhile Dmitry Medvedev, vice president of Russia’s council of security said Germany was just shooting itself in the foot.
“The German chancellor Olaf Scholz has asked to suspend the certification of Nord Stream 2… well, welcome to the new world where Europeans will soon pay 2,000 euros for 1,000 cm3 of gas,” he tweeted.
