Turkey relies on Russia for 45% of its natural gas demand, 17% of oil and 40% of its gasoline, Deputy Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in remarks on the sidelines of the CERAWeek energy conference.

The German energy group Uniper has decided to sever ties with Russia. Shell will withdraw from Russian hydrocarbons, including crude oil, petroleum products, gas and LNG in a phased manner.

Despite the latest unloading of Russian petroleum products in the US, shipments have recently been in decline. US imports of Russian crude oil have fallen to roughly 13,500 b/d since Jan. 1, down from an average of 199,000 b/d in 2021, according to the latest US data, reflecting declining reliance on Russian crude as the Ukraine crisis escalated.

In response to the tougher sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 27 ordered nuclear deterrent forces on high alert, further escalating tension.

Blocking energy flows and banning Russia from the international financial messaging service SWIFT – two potential responses to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine – remain on the table but were not pursued in the latest sanctions package from the US.

"The European Council today agrees on further restrictive measures that will impose massive and severe consequences on Russia for its action, in close coordination with our partners and allies," the council said.

It added that deliveries on Feb. 24 are set at 83 million cubic meters, a 31.4% increase on Feb. 23.

“Welcome to the new world where Europeans will soon have to pay 2,000 euros ($2,270) per thousand cubic meters!” he tweeted – suggesting prices were set to double.

Halting the certification process means the 55 Bcm/year pipeline -- which was completed in September -- will be unable to begin commercial operations.

"To be clear: these measures are separate from and would be in addition to the swift and severe economic measures we have been preparing in coordination with Allies and partners should Russia further invade Ukraine," Psaki said.

OPEC, along with 10 allies led by Russia, has been gradually easing back production quotas it implemented at the start of the coronavirus pandemic by 400,000 b/d each month, aiming to return to pre-pandemic output levels by late 2022.

Nord Stream 1 appeared to be returning to full capacity, according to the operator's data, with hourly gas flow nominations reaching 73 GWh since the start of Feb. 1 gas day, compared with 69 GWh/h for Jan. 31.

Demand is expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels in the second half of the year "with a healthy recovery trend," the analysis showed, easing the market oversupply to 1.2 million b/d in the third quarter and 1.1 million b/d in the fourth.

In a recent twist, Berlin is no longer ruling out shelving the pipeline project. But Europe is currently facing a winter energy crunch. Prices of natural gas have skyrocketed in recent months, and stockpiles in EU countries are at a five-year low.

Already, oil prices have hit seven-year highs in recent days over the ratcheting tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine.