German chancellor Olaf Scholz in the wake of the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine crisis has told his economics and climate ministry to stop the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, a move that could accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to renewables in Europe’s largest economy.

A key part of the permitting process for the gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea in consequence is being reassessed in the view of the most recent development, and that “will certainly drag on,” Scholz told journalists in a press briefing.