The United States, United Kingdom, Ukraine and several European Union member states have fiercely opposed the pipeline ever since it was first announced in 2015, warning the project would boost Moscow's influence in Europe.
But in central and eastern Europe, where gas supplies from Russia play an essential role in power generation and home heating, few topics are more political than energy security. With natural gas prices already near a record high, many fear further tension could cause more pain to European consumers.
Yet as tensions built up between Russia and the West over Ukraine, the claim has been quietly dropped by the Germans. Under pressure from the US, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock acknowledged last week the Nord Stream 2 pipeline could be included in a package of sanctions against Russia over its involvement in Ukraine.
Disputes over energy prices have plagued the relationship between Russia and Ukraine ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, with Russia cutting its supplies of gas to Ukraine on number of occasions. At the moment, Russia needs Ukraine, because large amount of the gas it sells to Europe still flows to the rest of the continent through Ukraine's territory.Making the situation even more complex is Germany's decision not to supply weapons to Ukraine.
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