Ukraine remains an opponent of the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, but is ready not to prevent it from launching if the state's energy security is ensured, and Russia de-occupies the seized Ukrainian territories. This was stated by Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba during the talks in Berlin.
Nord Stream 2 is, first of all, a threat to the security of Ukraine, and not just to the economy. We are against Nord Stream 2. The condition for its launch should be the de-occupation of Ukrainian territories and the country's energy security. This will be a fair compensation for threats. I expressed this position during the talks last week in Berlin," he stressed.
In an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt, Kuleba added that Ukraine is ready to negotiate compensation for the loss it would incur from the gas pipeline launch. However, it doesn't mean that Kyiv will unconditionally agree to the proposed compensation, he specified.
The Minister summed up that Ukraine sees the SP 2 primarily as a threat to its security. Therefore, it is important to use the gas pipeline issue as a lever to put pressure on Russia.
Context. The construction of Nord Stream 2 was planned to be completed in 2019, but the project was seriously hampered by American sanctions. Only on June 4, 2021, Russia announced the full readiness of the SP 2 first string. From June 7 to June 13, gas pipeline facilities were tested in the Leningrad Region of the Russian Federation.
Since June 11, preparations are underway to fill the SP 2 pipes with gas. The full completion of the gas pipeline is planned by the end of 2021.
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