This is from a Ukraine politics article posted yesterday at my Election Circus blog, at the link below. I deleted the politics sentences and now the edited version fits in at this blog.
https://electioncircus.blogspot.com/2022/03/russias-natural-gas-pipelines-to-europe.html
... "The Nord Stream 2 pipeline has been so opposed by the US and Ukraine. It is not environmental objections – it is political game -- an effort to isolate Russia in hopes that that will overthrow Putin.
Much gas flow to Europe goes through Ukraine and nobody bothers to look at the political stakes.
Russian natural gas company Gazprom has stopped transiting gas to Hungary via Ukraine.
Ukrainian industry officials claim that gas is now bypassing the country to Budapest through a Black Sea pipeline since Hungary is declaring neutrality.
There is a fear that Ukraine would blow up that pipeline, and blame Russia, because Hungary has refused to support Ukraine.
A new contract was agreed by Hungary and Russia to transport 4.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas for 15 years, starting last week.
The pipeline will flow south of Ukraine through the Black Sea, Austria, and Serbia, which is also pro-Russian, before reaching Hungary.
The deal has been criticized by Ukraine President Zelensky as Ukraine will lose its status as the main transit country for Russian natural gas to the European Union, as well as billions of euros in revenue.
But with Ukraine aligning with the US, it is a choke-point for Russia.
The real objective of not yet in use Nord Stream 2 pipeline is to avoid natural gas transit through Ukraine.
