Germany Halts Nord Stream 2 After Putin Orders Tanks Into Ukraine

Germany has suspended the Russia-led natural gas pipeline project Nord Stream 2 after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized late on Monday two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine and deployed troops there in the most serious escalation of the crisis yet. Germany, the endpoint of Nord Stream 2, has been hesitant in the past to move against the gas pipeline, but the latest escalation seems to have tipped the scales in favor of Berlin reacting strongly to the Russia-Ukraine crisis. “We now have to reassess the dramatically changed situation:…