Merkel: Ukraine Will Remain Gas Transit Country after Nord Stream 2
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel vows to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "to guarantee Ukraine's status as a transit country for Russian gas to Europe”, even after the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is completed.
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Merkel: "For us, Ukraine is and will remain a gas transit country even once Nord Stream 2 is completed"
On Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that “natural gas transit through Ukraine would continue even after the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline linking the country with Russia is completed.”
"Ukraine is and will remain a gas transit country even once Nord Stream 2 is completed," Merkel said in a Berlin press conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Merkel stated that "there are big worries about this on the Ukrainian side and we take those worries seriously", adding, "we would do everything we can to guarantee the key revenue source for Ukraine."
Zelensky reiterated his view on Nord Stream 2 as "a potential security threat to Ukraine."
The Nord Stream 2 Project was welcomed by both Berlin and Russia, since it links the two countries and would allow additional Russian gas to flow directly to Germany. Nonetheless, the project is fiercely opposed by Washington.
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Nord Stream 2 links Germany to Russia directly through offshore natural gas pipelines
Nord Stream AG CEO Matthias Warnig said, "We expect the construction work to be finished by the end of August."
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said, "The US will continue to impose sanctions against Russian companies participating in the Nord Stream 2 project." Meanwhile, the US State Department Spokesman stated that Washington considers the Russian project “a threat to energy security in Europe and Ukraine," and is primarily "a geopolitical project."
