The fact that it persisted for decades and increased in capacity is proof that it benefited Germany and the other European countries. And you’ve noticed yourse

The fact that it persisted for decades and increased in capacity is proof that it benefited Germany and the other European countries. And you’ve noticed yourself that the benefits accrued in the EU and the costs were incurred in Ukraine. But this is oversimplifying things - the Ukraine war has other important geopolitical facets besides the admittedly important energy aspect, such as NATO expansion.