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Germany has halted the opening of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in response to Russia’s escalation of the crisis in Ukraine.
Separately, EU ministers unanimously agreed a package of sanctions on Russia, shortly after separate British sanctions were imposed on five banks and three oligarchs.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he had ordered a rethink on the pipeline in light of what he called a changed security environment in Europe.
Speaking in Berlin on Tuesday, Mr Scholz said this was a “necessary administrative step so that the pipeline cannot be certified at this time”.
Germany had previously resisted calls from the US and Britain, as well as Ukraine, to scrap the trans-Baltic pipeline over fears that Russia will use it as a geopolitical weapon.
But Ukraine lauded Mr Scholz for changing course on Tuesday, with Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcoming what he called a “morally, politically and practically correct step in the current circumstances".
Russia responded with a warning that consumers in Europe would face even higher prices after a winter surge in gas and electricity costs.
“Welcome to the brave new world where Europeans are very soon going to pay 2,000 euros ($2,270) for 1,000 cubic metres of natural gas,” said Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president and now a member of Vladimir Putin's security council.
The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell said: “We are in a particular dangerous moment for Europe.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier demanded an immediate halt to Nord Stream 2 after Russia granted recognition to two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and ordered troops there in a so-called peacekeeping mission.
“These are very difficult hours and days for Europe,” said Mr Scholz, who was meeting Irish leader Micheal Martin hours before the EU was set to unveil separate sanctions on Russia.
He described Russia's actions as a “grave breach of international law” but said diplomatic efforts would continue to prevent a further escalation.
Russia brushed off the pipeline's suspension and other looming sanctions. “Moscow is not afraid of anything,” the Tass news agency quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko as saying.
Construction on Nord Stream 2 was completed last September but it needs approval from German regulators before it can go into operation.
Mr Scholz inherited the dilemma from his predecessor, Angela Merkel, who supported Nord Stream 2 and described it as purely an economic project.
He did not rule out a future opening date for the pipeline but said officials in Germany's Economy Ministry would rewrite their analysis of Germany's energy security in light of the latest developments.
Europe is under pressure to reduce its reliance on Russian gas for both political and environmental reasons, but Germany expects to rely on the fossil fuel for an interim period as it switches off coal and nuclear plants.
In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Europe had not done enough on this front after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014. He later welcomed Germany's decision as a “brave step” and “the right thing to do".
“We didn't do enough as Europeans to wean ourselves off Russian hydrocarbons, off Russian oil and gas,” he said. “We've got to make sure that we cut the umbilicus, we snip the drip feed into our bloodstream from Nord Stream.”
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Firefighters arrive at a military building in Kiev that was damaged in an explosion. EPA -
A man looks at the debris of an unidentified object in the aftermath of an explosion in Kiev. EPA -
Black smoke rises from a military airport in Chuguyev near Kharkiv. AFP -
People take shelter in a Kiev subway station, after Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised a military operation in eastern Ukraine. Reuters -
A Kiev underground train station provides some shelter. Reuters -
Clear airspace over Ukraine, shortly after the attack began, as shown on the Flightradar24 website. AP -
Kiev residents leave the city following pre-offensive missile strikes by the Russian armed forces and Belarus. Getty -
Russian President Vladimir Putin justified the attack in a televised address, saying it was to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine. AP -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the nation in Kiev. He has declared martial law, saying Russia has targeted Ukraine's military infrastructure. AP -
Firefighters extinguish a blaze at a house in Muratovo, in Ukraine's Luhansk enclave. AFP -
The house is said to have been hit during shelling by Russian-backed separatists. AFP -
The coffin of Capt Anton Sidorov is carried by members of the honour guard during a ceremony held at the Ministry of Defence in Kiev, Ukraine. Getty -
A picture memorial for those killed in the confrontation between Ukraine's military and pro-Russia separatist forces, in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine. AP -
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Russia's Ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, attend a Security Council meeting in New York to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. Reuters -
Ukraine's UN ambassador Sergey Kyslytsya speaks during an emergency meeting of the Security Council. AP -
US Army soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division head towards an air base near Arlamow, Poland. Reuters -
An employee works at the gun counter of a tactical equipment shop in Kiev, Ukraine. Getty -
A Ukrainian soldier speaks on a walkie-talkie at his position at the line of separation between Ukraine-held territory and rebel-held territory near Svitlodarsk, eastern Ukraine. AP -
A man removes his belongings from his house after it was struck by artillery shells in Novoluhanske, eastern Ukraine. AP -
A damaged house in Vibrovka village. EPA -
A man shows a poster in support of Ukraine as he protests against the escalation of the tension between Russia and Ukraine, in Berlin. AP -
Soldiers carry the coffin of Capt Anton Sydorov, 35, after he was killed in eastern Ukraine. AP -
Workers look into a destroyed house after shelling near the city of Novoluhanske in Donetsk. Reuters -
Destroyed buildings in Krasnogorivka, Ukraine. AFP -
Smoke rises from a power plant after shelling outside the town of Schastia, a day after Moscow recognised two Ukrainian separatist republics and ordered the Russian Army to send in troops as ‘peacekeepers’. AFP -
A Ukrainian Army soldier trudges through the wintry streets of Schastia on patrol. AFP -
Three women run for cover during shelling in Schastia, eastern Ukraine. AFP -
Russian tanks and armoured vehicles on the road in Rostov. EPA -
A woman shares food with dogs in Stanytsia Luhanska, a crossing point between Ukrainian government-controlled areas and pro-Russian separatists' territory. AP -
People wave Russian flags in Donetsk, the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants, in eastern Ukraine. AP -
A tank drives along a street in the city of Donetsk. Reuters -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses the nation on TV and says 'we are not afraid' after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Donetsk and Luhansk, two Moscow-backed rebel regions of Ukraine. AFP -
A military truck in Donetsk after Mr Putin ordered the deployment of Russian troops to the city. Reuters -
Russian state television showed Mr Putin signing a decree recognising the independence of the two Ukrainian breakaway regions. Reuters -
US President Joe Biden signs an executive order at the White House to prohibit trade and investment between US individuals and the two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine. Reuters -
Mr Putin signs documents, including the decree recognising two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine. Reuters -
Ukraine ambassador to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya, addresses an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation between Ukraine and Russia in New York. EPA
