Since the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden, the United States and Germany have been seeking a way out of the deadlock over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The Biden administration has so far managed to avoid triggering a full-blown crisis over the project with Berlin, but further sanctions bills circulating in the U.S. Congress might leave it with no choice. The undersea pipeline from Russia to Germany is nearly completed, and while its commissioning might be delayed, the start of gas deliveries is inevitable—and Washington should acknowledge it. The Biden administration should also reframe the issue, focusing the conversation on the practical implications of Nord Stream 2 instead of attempts to block it. A European strategy, led by Berlin and Paris and supported diplomatically by Washington, can help Central and Eastern Europe, especially Ukraine, adapt to the inevitable decline in their role as gas transit countries.
