The head of the Ukrainian company Naftogaz, Yuriy Vitrenko, announced Russia’s unwillingness to negotiate a new gas transit agreement. He stated in an interview with Reutersthat there is not even a hint of negotiations.
“There is nothing, not even a hint, formal or informal negotiations … We are discussing with the Americans and Germans that we would all like the transit to continue, but the Russians do not want to start these discussions,” Vitrenko said.
He added that the participation of Naftogaz and the Ukrainian GTS Operator in the certification of Nord Stream 2 does not allow Kiev to stop this process. According to him, Ukraine will be ready to challenge the final certification of the project in court if it considers that it does not comply with European legislation.
Earlier, Germany called on the US to abandon sanctions against Nord Stream 2. The German side stated that the gas pipeline does not pose a threat to Ukraine, since the transit of Russian gas to Europe continues through its territory. At the same time, the government stressed that the position on this project does not affect Berlin’s policy towards Russia.
In mid-November, Vitrenko said that if the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is launched, Ukraine’s annual losses would amount to about $ 2 billion. According to him, this is equivalent to about one and a half percent of the country’s GDP.
#Naftogaz #announced #Russias #unwillingness #negotiate #gas #transit
