Nord Stream 2 AG is owned by Russia's Gazprom. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline has been completed and prepared for operation, but the German regulator has halted the process of certifying it as the operator of part of the pipeline for formal reasons. On February 22, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that the Ministry of Economic Affairs would withdraw its opinion, which is necessary for the operator certification process, from the regulator. On February 23, U.S. President Joe Biden imposed sanctions on Nord Stream 2 – a ban on any transactions with the company or any entity it owns directly or indirectly, as well as with entities in which it would own more than half of the shares. The Americans imposed a similar ban on Nord Stream 2 AG director Matthias Warnig. The day after the U.S. sanctions were imposed, Russia launched an armed aggression against Ukraine. Source: PortalMorski.pl