Merkel reminded Zelensky that it was not only Germany that “betrayed” Ukraine with Nord Stream
Some leaders in Europe still do not understand that Nord Stream 2 is a “weapon of the Kremlin”, which in the future will be used against the collective West.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky announced this during a briefing, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“I believe that Nord Stream 2 is a weapon. I believe that it is wrong not to notice that this is a dangerous weapon not only for Ukraine, but for the whole of Europe. Ukraine will definitely not talk about Nord Stream 2 as an economy.
I believe that this is so unsafe that even now, when Nord Stream 2 is not completed, we see who controls gas prices in Europe. We see gas prices changing and jumping up. Therefore this is a political issue. I said that I do not consider this an economic issue, and the completion of Nord Stream 2 and its subsequent use will lead to great risks. I believe that this will only benefit the Russian Federation,” Zelensky said.
In turn, German Chancellor Angela Merkel reminded the Ukrainian president that Nord Stream 2 is a joint project of many EU countries.
“I see it as Germany’s obligation to speak out against the concerns expressed by Mr. President Zelensky that gas could be used as a weapon. It must be said that Nord Stream 2 is not a German-Russian project; there are companies from Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Holland.
This is a European-Russian project that falls under European law as part of the third energy package. Therefore, in regulation, we are not entirely free, but we must refer to this,” the chancellor noted.
To reassure Kyiv, she promised to consider sanctions if Russia decides to use gas as a weapon.
“We take concerns from Ukraine very seriously, so during my visit to Moscow, I spoke about this problem, and we said very clearly that we, within the European framework, advocate new sanctions if Russia tries to use this gas pipeline as a weapon,” - Merkel summed up.
Let us remind you that the German Chancellor discussed this issue at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian leader saidthat Moscow is ready to maintain gas transit through the Ukrainian gas transportation system, but this depends on the position of Europe.
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