Not TurkStream, but Nord Stream 2 is killing Ukrainian gas transit, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said.
“Turkish gas infrastructure cannot be considered in isolation from the general level of relations between Ukraine and Turkey and the huge volume of strategically important joint projects and areas of joint work. At the same time, we understand that not TurkStream, but Nord Stream 2 is killing Ukrainian gas transit. I understand the sentiment that is being promoted by some experts, but these are really two different situations from the point of view of the political and safe context and from the point of view of direct influence on the functioning of the Ukrainian pipeline,” Kuleba said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
He said that if the Nord Stream 2 does not work, but the TurkStream works, the Ukrainian pipe will remain loaded, but if both the TurkStream and Nord Stream 2 work, this directly affects the loading rate of Ukrainian pipeline.
“Gas is politics and security. You cannot look at gas in Europe exclusively from an economic point of view. Whatever gas issue you take, there is always big politics. The argument that a certain project is purely economic does not appear because no gas project in Europe is purely economic. It is always a matter of political choice, since modern gas technologies allow diversifying gas supplies in the presence of such a political desire. Therefore, when we assess a particular gas project or contract, we take into account the political and safe context,” Kuleba said.
The minister also said that no matter how good relations with Germany are, Nord Stream 2 is the point where countries fundamentally diverge and are ready to toughly defend their national interests.
“There are many questions where Ukraine and Germany need each other, where we need Germany, and where we are grateful to it. With Russia in this regard it is easier, because the status of Russia as an aggressor state and the level of our relations, or rather their absence, are quite understandable. But no matter how good our relations with Germany are, Nord Stream 2 is the point where we fundamentally diverge and are ready to toughly defend our national interests. Actually, this is what we are doing,” he said.
Kuleba also said that there is a split in Germany around Nord Stream 2.
“There are forces that support it and see it as an economic added value. There are forces that strongly oppose it. And these are all German forces. They are not inspired by anyone from outside. This is a project that creates economic advantages for Germany in the EU internal market. We must speak frankly about this. But, for example, our relations with Germany cannot be only applicable to the Nord Stream 2 problem, since much more important things are happening,” he said.
