Energy Dominates The Geopolitical Equation In Russia/Ukraine Dispute

Energy Dominates The Geopolitical Equation In Russia/Ukraine Dispute

BERLIN, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 07: German Social Democratic party SPD candidate for chancellor Olaf ... [+] Scholz looks on during a two-day party meeting on February 07, 2021 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images) In a speech on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that elements of Russia's army would soon move into two disputed Eastern regions of Ukraine on what he calls a "peace-keeping mission." Those two regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - are populated largely by people of Russian descent, and are the sites of frequent armed hostilities between dissidents and Ukrainian government forces. Much like he did in 2015 in Crimea, it seems evident that Putin's ultimate goal is the annexation of these two regions. In response to Putin's incursion, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that his government would put efforts to reach final approval and certification of Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline on hold and assess other means of securing adequate natural gas supplies for his country. "The appropriate departments of the economy ministry will make a new assessment of the security of our supply in light of what has changed in last few days," he said. Should the situation between Russia and Ukraine