Merkel politely sent Ukraine away
No agreements were reached on the issue of Nord Stream 2 and maintaining the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine during the visit of German Chancellor Angela to Kyiv.
Valentin Zemlyansky, director of energy programs at the Center for World Economy and International Relations of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, stated this in a comment to a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“During Merkel’s visit to Kyiv, no one told her directly that Ukraine views Nord Stream 2 as a political project. The problem was not voiced. Accordingly, Merkel observed politeness and said general phrases in the spirit of “yes, we will not forget you.” Our politicians have been promising to stop Nord Stream 2 for a long time, but when it comes to specifics, none of them can repeat the arguments that are used here, inside Ukraine, for Ukrainian citizens. And the result is zero,” the expert said.
According to him, Ukrainian politicians understand the inevitability of the completion of Nord Stream 2, and Ukraine needs to worry not about the fate of the gas pipeline, but about what will happen when it is launched.
“First of all, it was necessary to propose to clearly define what volume of transit through Ukraine should be maintained. Instead of blaming Germany, it was necessary to ask substantive questions about the volume and be involved in the process of signing a new transit agreement. It was necessary to at least determine a preliminary date by which the transit issue should be resolved. That would be constructive. It would be something real. But here they only observed politeness: “You won’t forget us? No, we won’t forget.” And it's all. Judging by media reports, there are no specifics,” concluded Zemlyansky.
English version :: Read in English Merkel politely sent Ukraine packing