Nord Stream 2 Certification Will Be Stopped - German Chancellor Scholz

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says that the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will be stopped.

This is indicated in the statement of the Handelsblatt publication, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"Olaf Scholz has clearly responded to Russia's aggressive signals in the Ukrainian conflict. According to Handelsblatt, the Chancellor is suspending the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline," the statement said.

Scholz condemns the decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk "People's Republics" as independent states as a serious violation of international law.

Besides, the Chancellor noted that by his actions in eastern Ukraine, Putin violates not only the Minsk agreements, but also the charter of the United Nations (UN), which provides for the preservation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states.

Earlier, German Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture Cem Ozdemir was the first Member of the Bundestag of Germany to speak in favor of stopping the Russian-German gas pipeline.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Putin instructed the Russian Ministry of Defense to ensure "peacekeeping" in the "LPR" and "DPR".