Germany takes steps to halt Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline

A Russian construction worker speaks on a mobile phone during a ceremony marking the start of Nord Stream pipeline construction in Portovaya Bay some 106 miles north-west from St Petersburg, Russia, on April 9 2010 (Dmitry Lovetsky/AP)

Germany has taken steps to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, as the West started taking punitive measures against Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.

Mr Scholz told reporters in Berlin that his government was taking the measure in response to Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.

The pipeline bringing natural gas from Russia to Germany has long been criticised by the United States and some European countries who argue that it increases Europe’s reliance on Russian energy supplies.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Michael Sohn/AP)

Mr Scholz said the government had decided to “reassess” the certification of the pipeline, which has not begun operating yet, in light of the latest developments.

“That will certainly take time, if I may say so,” he said.