The launch of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline will depend on Russia’s actions, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in an interview with the Les Echos and Handelsblatt newspapers published on Friday.
"We have prepared a robust and comprehensive package of financial and economic sanctions," von der Leyen told the papers, adding that these included "capping access to foreign capital" and "export controls, especially on technical goods".
"In this severe crisis, everything will depend on Russia’s position. <...> Russia is putting military pressure on Ukraine and using gas as a bargaining chip with us [EU]. That is why Nord Stream 2 cannot be removed from the sanctions list, that is absolutely clear," she noted.
