“Russian companies will continue their gas contracts to countries including Turkey and Germany,” Nikolay Shulginov told a forum in Doha, saying he was speaking on behalf of President Vladimir Putin. “Russia will continue to provide gas to all members of the international community.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday that the certification of Nord Stream 2 cannot go ahead after Russia’s move Monday to recognise two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent states.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, sounded a defiant tone after Berlin’s decision.

“German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has issued an order to halt the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Well. Welcome to the brave new world where Europeans are very soon going to pay €2,000 for 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas!” Medvedev said in a tweet.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer made clear on Monday that the certification could not proceed if Russia invaded Ukraine.

“There is no question about that,” he told reporters. “That therefore means that Nord Stream 2 is part of the sanctions.”

The US, EU, UK and Japan have promised to impose sanctions on Russia should the country invade Ukraine. Putin on Monday ordered troops into the separatist regions, raising speculation about further military action.

The EU imports around one-third of its gas from Moscow. Most of it comes through pipelines including Yamal-Europe, which goes through Belarus and Poland, and Nord Stream 1, which crosses the Baltic Sea. Moscow could stop pumping gas to Europe in retaliation for any sanctions.

Qatar is unlikely to supply additional gas to Europe, given its long-term contracts with Asian buyers. Energy Minister Saad al-Kaabi said Tuesday that Qatar “will not break the sanctity of its contracts”.