President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky notes the absence of concrete steps by the leaders of the United States and Germany to counter threats from the launch of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, presidential press secretary Serhiy Nykyforov has said.
“President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky welcomes the efforts of U.S. President Joe Biden and Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel to resolve the crisis that will arise from the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project, but notes the absence of concrete steps to counter threats from the launch of this pipeline,” Nykyforov said at a briefing at the President’s Office on Friday, July 16.
According to Nykyforov, the President’s Office is grateful to Germany and the United States for supporting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as for the statements of the leaders of these countries that Russia cannot be allowed to use Nord Stream 2 as a weapon, and that Ukraine, even after the expiration of a gas transit contract with Russia, should remain a transit party.
“But, we did not hear the most interesting: how the parties will try to ensure this. We did not hear the specifics that President Volodymyr Zelensky demands,” Nykyforov said.
The representative of the President of Ukraine recalled that Joe Biden and Angela Merkel signed a joint declaration in which they promised to protect “the rights and dignity of all people and confront injustice and inequality wherever it happens.”
“The President of Ukraine hopes that this will be the case. And that the most powerful country in the world and the most powerful country in Europe will remain faithful to their declarations, their commitments and principles. And they will not exchange them for some short-term commercial interests,” Nykyforov said.
