Germany suspends certification of Nord Stream 2.

 German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that he had ordered the withdrawal of a key document needed for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline certification. “The situation today looks fundamentally different,” Scholz said at a press conference a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two separatist-held areas in Ukraine as an independent. “It sounds a bit technocratic, but this is the first necessary step to make sure that the pipeline cannot be certified at this time,” Scholz said.