The Nord Stream 2 Pipeline was completed in September of 2021. The pipeline goes from Russia to Germany, but BYPASSES Ukraine. It turns out this wasn’t such a great thing with the emergence of the Ukraine/Russia tensions. The bypass causes Ukraine to lose 2 billion dollars worth of transport fees. This benefits Germany and Russia, who can spend less on transport, but is detrimental towards Ukraine. With Ukraine under pressure of attack, extra money would be helpful. Ukraine having transport fees might’ve also been able to dampen the financial gain that Russia benefits from. Perhaps someone who specializes in the transportation if natural gas and the economics behind it could look into a way of adding Ukraine somewhere along the pipeline. Would Ukraine benefiting be able to offset the benefit Russia would get otherwise? If this could be a solution, perhaps the pipeline could operate. Or, maybe adding Ukraine would make things worse. Its an option that could be explored further. https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2022/2/23/nord-stream-2-halted-what-you-should-know

After reading the Reuters article, I’m impressed. The UN, US, and Germany seem to be working together. There is a realization that allowing the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline will make Russia stronger, and make everyone else in Europe, including Ukraine, weaker. They don’t want the dependency on Russia’s gas line and are willing to explore other more expensive options just to avoid giving Russia their business. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/germanys-scholz-halts-nord-stream-2-certification-2022-02-22/

Some background knowledge on the Russia/Germany natural gas relationship. Russia has been sending natural gas to Germany for decades and it has strengthened the relationship between the countries. However, things are changing. As Russia has been sending less natural gas to Germany, prices have skyrocketed. This has forced Germany to look elsewhere for resources. Liquified Natural Gas terminals exist in Europe, but not Germany is looking to build it’s own terminal on the northern coast. The counties natural gas reserves are depleting, which is a huge problem considering that 27% of Germany’s energy consumption is from natural gas, and that percentage is increasing. Roughly two thirds of the natural gas used comes from Russia, thus creating this massive energy crisis. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/14/world/europe/germany-energy-russia-gas-pipeline.html