US and German threats to block Nord Stream 2 if Russia invades Ukraine beg the question of who is most affected by the closure of the contested transit route.Europe needs more gas — but there are no guarantees the pipe will not be used to just replace Ukrainian transit flows.Russia also needs a greenlight to strengthen its hand in upcoming transit talks and as an outlet for gas from new Arctic fields. Save for later Print Download Share LinkedIn Twitter The fate of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline has come into focus once again as the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine escalates. The €9.5 billion ($10.7 billion) pipeline is slated to transport Russian gas directly to Germany under the Baltic Sea. It has become a preferred target for the US and the EU as part of the toolbox to counter Russia’s geopolitical moves against Ukraine, in the years following Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine after the Maidan revolution tilted Ukraine's political orientation from east to west. Measures to stop or delay the start of Nord Stream 2 have focused on ensuring that Russian gas giant Gazprom continues flowing gas through Ukraine, a massive source of revenue for Kiev.
