German Chancellor Olaf Scholz snubbed the Greens on dealing with Russia, as the two major parties of the coalition have differing views on Kremlin. Mr Scholz wants to make Russia Chefsache (an executive matter), meaning that his foreign minister Annalena Baerbock will likely play a smaller role on the issue, according to the German daily BILD.

       He is reportedly looking for a “fresh start” for Germany’s policy on Russia and may even be planning a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon.

       Meanwhile, the Chancellor has been facing increasing pressure from the Green party to take a harder stance on the Kremlin.

       Last month, Ms Baerbock had promised “harsh diplomatic and economic consequences” would occur if Russia interfered in Ukraine.

       Her party colleague, Vice-Chancellor and economy minister Robert Habeck has also publicly questioned Germany’s ties with Russia over the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

       Nord Stream 2, which is set to become one of the longest offshore gas pipelines in the world, has had its certification delayed by Germany’s energy regulator.

       Mr Putin has been accused of deliberately decreasing gas volumes travelling into Europe in the hope to speed up the certification of Nord Stream 2.

       His gas squeeze has sent Europe’s gas prices skyrocketing to record highs for the past year, with energy prices rising more than 30 percent on Tuesday.

       Germany and EU are currently facing a dilemma on how to deal with the Russian threat towards Ukraine, as Russia is the continent’s biggest energy provider.

       READ MORE: EU dispatches most senior diplomat to Russia-Ukraine front

       Mr Putin has reportedly deployed around 100,000 troops to the Ukraine-Russia border, sparking fears of an invasion.

       As Europe deals with a severe energy crisis, Gazprom, Russia's state-backed gas giant, raked in ￡179million in dividends from its London-based European office.

       In its accounts for 2020, the company stated that businesses were “well placed to take advantage of highly volatile market conditions".

       Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck warned Mr Putin that the Nord Stream 2 certification could be blocked if Russia violates Ukraine’s territorial integrity again.

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