Kyiv: all of Europe is interested in stopping Nord Stream 2
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Dmytro Kuleba said that the US sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline should be applied as soon as possible, reports Ukrinform news agency. According to him, not only Ukraine but also all of Europe is interested in stopping the construction of the pipeline.
According to Kuleba, Nord Stream 2 pipeline is a political, not an economic project. He explained that the pipeline will create a security imbalance in Europe and would also be Russia's "lever of manipulation and influence" in Central Europe and the western Balkans.
Kuleba noted that sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 are included in the US defense budget. He also said that the sanctions, as well as assistance to Ukraine for $300 million, will contribute to the defense and energy security of Ukraine.
In November, Republican Senator for Texas Ted Cruz said that US sanctions would be able to delay the commissioning of the Nord Stream 2 for more than a year. He also noted that if the United States imposes sanctions against companies that are participating in pipelines building, it will lead to a halt in its construction, as Russia does not have the technology to lay a gas pipeline under the sea.
The Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is being laid along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, is designed to transport gas directly from suppliers in Russia to consumers in Europe. The presumed capacity of the “stream” will be 55 billion cubic meters per year. The project will constitute an alternative transit option if the transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine, which expires on December 31 this year, is not extended. The pipeline bypasses the transit states – Ukraine, Belarus, Poland and other Eastern European and Baltic states – and passes through the economic zones and territorial waters of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany.
On October 30, Denmark gave permission for a stretch of Nord Stream 2 to be built in its territorial waters – the pipeline will pass to the south-east of Bornholm island in the Baltic Sea. Denmark was the last country to give this permission.