WASHINGTON, Aug 9 - President Biden has appointed close former adviser Amos Hochstein as a State Department energy envoy charged with implementing a U.S.-Germany deal allowing the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to be completed, sources familiar with the decision told Axios.

Hochstein has been a leading voice against Nord Stream 2, a strategic and financial priority for the Kremlin that will allow Russia to bypass Ukraine and deliver gas directly to the heart of Europe.

The appointment — which will not require Senate confirmation — lends the credibility of a prominent Russia hawk to a Biden decision that's drawn intense criticism in Eastern Europe and on Capitol Hill, including from some Democrats.

Implementing the pipeline deal will be an immediate priority for Hochstein, who's known by key players in Eastern Europe as "Biden's guy," Axios said.

Hochstein also will serve a broader global energy role in the Biden administration. He declined to comment for this story.

Sources who know Hochstein are surprised he'd agree to take a job that seems in such inherent conflict with his reputation and stance that the pipeline is "the existential crisis facing Ukraine."

"They're trying to hide this terrible deal behind his credibility in the hopes it will make people forget just how bad this deal is," said a source who's worked with Hochstein on energy matters and respects him as a staunch pipeline opponent.

A source close to the process and to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Axios: "The hope in Kyiv is that [Hochstein's appointment] is recognition that the policy to date has not been a success and that this appointment results in a real course improvement and is not window dressing."

A source familiar with the process told Axios that "it's frankly good to have someone who is deeply suspicious of the project and of Russian intentions because he will push hard to execute an effective strategy to manage the threat."

A Biden official said the appointment has been in the works for some time, and disputed the notion that it's a "course correction" in response to outrage over the deal.

Politico first reported, in April, that Hochstein was under consideration for a special envoy role to help kill Nord Stream 2. But that was before Biden made the decision to waive sanctions and allow the pipeline to move forward in the interests of improving the U.S. relationship with Germany.

The Biden official added that Hochstein's experience would be valuable for implementing the deal and that Germany had established its own envoy for him to deal directly with. Hochstein joins an administration that's light on experience in global energy negotiations. (ax/ez)