BLOOMBERG USA
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised that his government will “do everything” to ensure that natural gas continues to flow through Ukraine and prevent Russia from using its Nord Stream 2 pipeline to cripple the former Soviet republic’s economy.
During a three-hour trip to Poland on Sunday, Germany’s new leader didn’t directly address what, if any, action his government would take against the pipeline as Russia masses troops on Ukraine’s border.
Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock went further, pointing out that Nord Stream 2 doesn’t meet the requirements of German regulators, who suspended the pipeline’s certification last month because the Gazprom PJSC-owned operator hadn’t properly set up a German unit.
“At this point, the pipeline can’t be certified because it doesn’t fulfill the requirements of European energy law — and security issues are still on the table,” Baerbock, whose Green party is a junior partner in Scholz’s government, told broadcaster ZDF.