Poland welcomes Germany's decision to stop Nord Stream 2

ISTANBUL

Poland’s prime minister welcomed Germany’s decision on Tuesday to halt the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline amid Russia’s widely condemned move against Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Polish state news agency, PAP, reported that Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Facebook that the decision “is a voice of common sense and strong opposition to the Kremlin's neo-imperial ambitions."

“Since the very onset of the Nord Stream 2 project, Poland has strongly opposed putting Germany's gas interest before the security of the whole of Europe," said Morawiecki. "The effects of the continent's dependence on Russian energy supplies are being felt by all EU citizens today.”

Morawiecki’s remarks came after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Russia’s recognition of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent states is a clear violation of international law.

“The situation has fundamentally changed, we need to make a reassessment, also with regard to Nord Stream 2,” Scholz told reporters, adding that administrative steps were taken Tuesday to halt the approval process.

The controversial project, which was designed to carry Russian gas directly to Germany, was long criticized by the US and Eastern European countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the recognition of Luhansk and Donetsk’s independence in a speech Monday, which was interpreted by Western officials as an address to the Russian people to justify a war.

Later, he ordered the deployment of troops to “maintain peace” in Ukraine’s separatist regions.