Ukrainian President warns Europe against Russia's gas blackmail
The Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline is a geopolitical tool to pressure Western Europe. European countries’ dependence on Russia’s gas supplies opens a large field for blackmail, said president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko in an interview with the publication Rheinische Post.
According to him, the Nord Stream-2 project makes no economic sense. "This is Russia’s attempt to weaken Ukraine, but above all, Putin wants to put geopolitical pressure on Western Europe," believes the Ukrainian president.
In addition, Poroshenko noted that the construction of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline is unreasonable. He reminded that Ukraine has more than enough transit capacity to transport Russian gas to Europe.
"So why spend $20 billion on a useless pipeline? Answer the question yourself," added Poroshenko. The President of Ukraine warned Europe against the trap of gas blackmail of the Russian Federation.
"I can only warn European friends based on my own negative experience, if you depend on gas supplies from Russia as it was with Ukraine a few years ago, you can be blackmailed," he said.
Earlier, Putin announced Russia's readiness to fund Nord Stream 2 in the event of the U.S. sanctions.