So far, transit through the Ukrainian gas transportation system is not threatened; it is secured for five years by a contract with Gazprom, but when Nord Stream 2 is put into operation, the Ukrainian gas transportation system will no longer be needed.
Sergei Makogon, General Director of GTS Operator of Ukraine LLC, stated this at a press conference in Kyiv, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“We have a five-year transit contract with Gazprom, 65 billion for this year, 40 billion for the next four years. Therefore, despite the volume of transit, we will receive payment in full. This is the first one.
The second is the likelihood of Nord Stream 2 being completed. This is a very geopolitical issue in which the Russian Federation has already invested billions of dollars. This is a very important issue, but we will make every effort to convince Western partners that the construction of this gas pipeline, Nord Stream 2, does not bring any benefits or any alternative to existing gas pipelines.
Now Nord Stream (the first - editor's note) is undergoing repairs. But there is no impact on the Ukrainian gas transportation system, we are not transporting more, we are transporting as much as we transported two weeks ago. This means that Gazprom already has the ability to transport all the necessary volumes bypassing our system.
With the launch of Nord Stream 2, there will be no need for a Ukrainian gas transportation system at all. And these are very big economic risks. Now 70% of our income is income from transit. These are also big political and, possibly, security risks for Ukraine,” Sergei Makogon worries.