German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday that certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline connecting Germany and Russia has been put on hold, as Western countries roll out punitive measures over the Kremlin’s actions in Ukraine.
Scholz told reporters in Berlin on Feb. 22 that his government’s decision to suspend the pipeline came in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recognition of the independence of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, a move feared to be a precursor to a large-scale invasion.
