"U.S. dry natural gas production in 2020 was 0.4 Tcf lower than in 2019 because of a decline in drilling activity related to low natural gas and oil prices, which was largely the result of a drop in demand resulting from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as increased recovery of natural gas plant liquids from marketed natural gas."
And if Russia can sell its (low cost) gas directly to Germany and Europe via the Nord-2 gas pipe that would give Russia absolute control over the global price of gas as well as the ability to bankrupt the (high cost) shale oil-gas producers in the US. (Its a bit like how Woolies bankrupts the local businesses by always keeping their prices lower.) Once that is done, Russia can jack up the price up of gas and make a killing.
Besides putting the US shale oil-gas producers out of business, the loss of income to the Ukraine and Poland would bankrupt those countries making the people there think: "Maybe we would be better off rejoining the cashed up Soviet Union?".
So, its logical to assume that this dispute is over one gas pipe and the supply of gas to Europe and the instigator is the US who wants to keep the Nord-2 gas pipe switched off.
