Russian pipeline faces big hurdles amid Ukraine tensions

By DAVID McHUGH and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Russia’s natural gas pipeline to Europe is built and filling with gas. But the Nord Stream 2 pipeline still faces a rocky road ahead before the gas can flow to customers in Germany and Europe. First, the U.S. secretary of state has said gas won’t start if Russia launches military aggression against Ukraine. German officials are more cautious but say Russian aggression would carry high costs and sanctions. Even if it doesn’t come to that, Nord Stream 2 faces an extensive regulatory review and possible lawsuits after that from pipeline opponents such as Poland who say it gives Russia too much leverage over Europe. It’s all happening as Europe faces winter with a shortage of gas that has sent prices surging.