The head of Naftogaz, Vitrenko, reproached Germany for wanting to make money on Nord Stream 2 Germany does not have the right to benefit from Nord Stream 2 at the expense of other countries, Yury Vitrenko believes. In his opinion, another gas pipeline is not needed for gas imports in Europe ” alt = “Naftogaz reproached Berlin for trying to make money on Nord Stream 2” />
Germany should not benefit from Nord Stream 2 gas supplies at the expense of other European countries, said the head of Naftogaz Yuriy Vitrenko in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
“Germany would receive economic benefits if, thanks to Nord Stream 2, became the main distribution point for Russian gas. But as a leading European country, Germany cannot gain a short-term economic advantage at the expense of other European countries, — Vitrenko said (quote from RIA Novosti).
According to him, another pipeline is not needed to supply fuel to Europe: Ukrainian capacities for gas imports are sufficient, they are only a quarter occupied.
The head of Naftogaz emphasized that European companies should decide for themselves how to receive gas: through Ukraine or through Nord Stream 2.
Construction of Nord Stream 2 ended in September 2021, and at the end of December, the head of Gazprom Alexey Miller said that both lines of the gas pipeline are ready for operation. The total length of the two lines laid along the bottom of the Baltic Sea is more than 1.2 thousand km. Gas will be supplied to Germany through the sea territories of Russia, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. Now the project must be approved by the German and European regulators.
On November 16, the German Federal Grid Agency suspended the Nord Stream 2 certification process: its operator must bring the organizational structure of the project in line with the country's legislation. A month later, the regulator announced that the decision to certify Nord Stream 2 not expected in the first half of 2022.
Vitrenko previously stated that Nord Stream 2 certification is not worth it, because the gas pipeline does not comply with EU rules. “Naftogaz” admitted to certification of the project, therefore, according to the head of the company, the German regulator will have to take into account the position of the Ukrainian side. The representative of the Federal Network Agency pointed out that the Ukrainian companies participating in the certification would not be able to block the decision of the regulator.
Even at the construction stage, Ukraine opposed the project. According to Kiev, Moscow can use Nord Stream 2 to put pressure on other states. In addition, the country's leadership is afraid that after the launch of the gas pipeline, gas transit through Ukraine will stop.
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