Ukrainian President: likelihood remains that Nord Stream 2 will not be launched
Ukraine should use the time required to launch the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to protect its interests and energy security, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with the journalists from Washington Post, Liberation, Funke Media, NV and Novaya Gazeta.
Zelensky noted that Nord Stream 2 is among the priorities on the agenda of his meeting with US President Joseph Biden in Washington.
"It still has a long way to go, even if 1% of the work remains until the full completion of Nord Stream 2. It's one thing to build a gas pipeline, and another to launch it. It takes time. It is necessary to comply with the norms of international law and international energy standards. Guarantees must also be considered. We use this time to protect our own interests," Zelensky’s press service quoted him as saying.
According to Zelensky, even after the pipeline’s construction is completed, there is a possibility that it will not work.
On July 21, the United States and Germany announced an agreement under which the Americans will not interfere with the completion of Nord Stream-2, and Germany in return promises to negotiate with Russia continuation of gas transit trough Ukraine for another 10 years.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau noted that the agreement between the U.S. and Germany would significantly deepen the crisis in Europe and said that Ukraine and Poland will jointly oppose the launch of the gas pipeline.