UOKiK on Oct. 7 imposed a fine of more than Zloty 29 billion ($7.62 billion, Eur6.48 billion) on Russian gas giant Gazprom for building Nord Stream 2 without its approval, as well as a fine totaling Zloty 234 million on five European companies that helped finance the project.

The almost complete Nord Stream 2 was meant to come online at the end of 2019, but the threat of US sanctions against companies working on laying the pipeline saw main contractor Allseas halt work in December last year.

A little over 150 km of Nord Stream 2 remains to be laid in Danish and German waters, but with the political debate becoming ever more frenzied, it remains unclear how and when the pipeline will be completed.

A little over 150 km of Nord Stream 2 remains to be laid in Danish and German waters after an initial threat of US sanctions last December forced principal pipe-layer Allseas to halt work.

The Danish Energy Agency granted the permit on Thursday almost a year after the application was submitted.

Nord Stream 2 would double the capacity of the gas corridor via the Baltic Sea to Germany to 110 Bcm/year and would reduce the need for Russia to use Ukraine as a transit country for gas supply to Europe.

“The Baltic Sea pipeline is above all in the interests of Germany and western Europe as we want to achieve the energy transformation,”

Schwesig said she agreed that Russia had to explain the poisoning, but said the crime "should not be used to challenge Nord Stream 2."

The German government led by Chancellor Angela Merkel has up to now supported Nord Stream 2, which is almost complete with just 160 km of the line left to lay in Danish waters.

Companies involving in building the Nord Stream 2 link can now be targeted

The United States has tightened sanctions on the pipeline, designed and led by Russia’s Gazprom

"Nord Stream 2 does not share the procedural arguments of the court and maintains that the amendment of the Gas Directive constitutes an unlawful discrimination," a spokesman for Nord Stream 2 told

The changes to the CAATSA guidance is the latest move by the US to put pressure on companies involved in building both Nord Stream 2 and the TurkStream extension in Bulgaria and Serbia into Hungary.

Economic sanctions should be lifted to prevent hunger crises in countries hit by COVID-19 – UN rights expert

Putin and Trump discussed the oil market at a time when prices continue to tumble due to the collapse of the OPEC+ crude production cut agreement, and the major economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.