Five years ago, on December 1, 2014, Russia announced its surprise abandonment of its South Stream pipeline project that would have run across the Black Sea from Russia to Bulgaria.
The European Union said Moscow’s move to forgo the project underscored the need for diverse energy sources, while Moscow vowed to find other ways to get its natural gas to paying clients.
The announcement was made by President Vladimir Putin in Turkey, and the decision followed years of wrangling between the EU and Russia over energy supplies. Many in the West claim Moscow uses its energy exports as a geopolitical tool and it reflected the severe strain in ties caused by Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its support of military action in eastern Ukraine.