Russian President Vladimir Putin said he doesn’t want to discuss Nord Stream 2 during the Normandy format peace talks.
Putin told the Russia 24 TV channel that the construction of the Baltic Sea pipeline to Germany is an economic issue.
“The Normandy format or other similar formats are political platforms for discussing the situation in Ukraine. It has nothing to do with commercial projects such as Nord Stream, Nord Stream-2 or gas transit through Ukraine,” Putin noted.
Putin assured that Russia would not stop sending gas through Ukraine, which its state company Gazprom is contracted to do through 2024.
Currently, Nord Stream-2 is more than 95% complete, according to the project head Matthias Wernig.
If the project is completed, Russia will be able to supply gas to Europe without going through Ukraine. This would lead to billions of dollars in lost transit revenues per year.
Earlier, On July 12, during his visit to Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the construction of Nord Stream 2 should be discussed within the Normandy format.
Merkel believes that this is possible, but it is not a part of resolving the conflict. She also said that Germany would try to keep Ukraine as a transit country, without providing any assurance.
Nord Stream 2 is likely to be a key topic in Merkel’s and Zelensky’s talks with U.S. President Joe Biden.
