APPROVAL for the Nord Stream 2 (NS2) gas pipeline has been put on hold, and the European Commission will scrutinise the project's compliance with the trading bloc's energy policy, revealed the commission's vice president Valdis Dombrovkis.

He argued that the EU will do everything it can to ensure Russia is unable to use natural gas as a weapon.

The developments will be a huge blow to the Kremlin, and follow deepening tensions between Russia and the West over the fate of Ukraine.

Russia has positioned over 100,000 troops within close proximity of Ukraine's borders over the past month, and has sought extensive talks with the White House concerning perceived NATO expansionism.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has previously threatened to place sanctions on the pipeline if Russia instigates conflict in the region, while the US has said the pipeline will not be greenlit if Ukraine is invaded.

The £8.4bn energy project was completed last September, with its certification held up last year amid governance concerns from

German regulators.

No decision on the pipeline from the domestic authorities was expected until this summer, but NS2 also needs to be approved by the European Commission. It has the right to examine the position Germany takes for a whole month, with the option to extend the assessment period by another two months under certain conditions.

The German regulator first raised concerns over the pipeline's independence from Kremlin-backed gas giant Gazprom last November, and laid down requirements for a separate company to oversee its German section.

However, worries over its political influence have only grown since then, with the International Energy Agency accusing Russia of throttling supplies into Europe and of trying to minimise the role of Ukraine by reducing its transit fees from pipes flowing through the country.

Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed such accusations as 'politically motivated blather', while Gazprom has insisted it has fulfilled every contract it has brokered in Europe, despite cutting export growth to the continent this winter.

(c) 2022 City A.M., source Newspaper