Germany will certainly stop the Nord Stream 2 pipe task with Russia till additional notice after Moscow officially acknowledged both separatist republics of eastern Ukraine, Chancellor Olaf Scholz revealed Tuesday.
Talking with reporters in Berlin, Scholz stated he had actually asked for the accreditation process for the pipe to be suspended.
“That seems technological, yet it is the essential management action so there can be no certification of the pipe and without this qualification, Nord Stream 2 can not start operating,” he stated.
The 10-billion-euro pipeline, which recently completed construction however is not yet operational, was readied to move 110 cubic meters of natural gas every year from Russia to Europe.
It has actually been a major point of contention with Western nations and Ukraine, who argue that the pipeline will allow Moscow to apply political leverage over Europe. Germany has actually up until now insisted on complying with via with the project and also the Kremlin refutes utilizing its power resources as a political tool.
On Tuesday, Scholz alerted that Russia might encounter further sanctions in response to its actions in Ukraine.
“There are also various other sanctions that we can introduce if additional steps are taken, however, for currently, it’s a matter of doing something very concrete,” he said.
But he also prompted for discussion in between Russia and the West to proceed.
As permissions, proceeded diplomacy is “crucial to prevent a more acceleration and also therefore a catastrophe” in the region, Scholz stated. “This is the purpose of all our polite initiatives,” he included.