Naftogaz no longer believes Merkel's promises and is preparing for Plan B
Understanding the inevitability of the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 project, Naftogaz began to implement a backup plan that provides for compensation through the court for financial losses for the termination of gas transit through Ukraine.
Executive Director of NJSC Naftogaz Yuriy Vitrenko stated this on air on the ZIK TV channel, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“If Nord Stream 2 is built, and most likely it will be built, but there is a possibility that it will be stopped, we are working on it, but this is very unlikely, given that the de facto German government supports this project, many European companies are supported through direct and indirect corruption, so there are huge chances that this project will take place. If this happens, there is a very high probability that there will be no transit through Ukraine at all.
We turned to the Prime Minister and proposed to consider this issue at the National Security and Defense Council. This is a matter of both supply security and national security. Military experts say this increases the risk of a full-scale war with Russia. We raised the question of the need to optimize the Ukrainian gas storage facility and, in principle, redesign how this entire system will function. There is no plan for the conservation of gas storage facilities yet; this is being decided at a very high level,” Vitrenko said.
At the same time, according to him, Naftogaz has already started “Plan B”.
“For our part, we are trying to compensate for financial losses. We have already initiated a new arbitration, which has actually already begun, where we demand more than 12 billion dollars, of which 10 is actually compensation for the fact that there will be no transit through Ukraine after 2019. But compensation for financial losses is a backup option; after all, “plan A” is to preserve transit,” he noted.
“The volumes that Angela Merkel promises Ukraine, and Russia confirms her words, will they help maintain pressure in the Ukrainian gas transportation system for its functioning?” the TV presenter asked the studio guest.
“Maybe Angela Merkel promised you something, I don’t know anything about it in terms of promises. Even if there was a promise, there is a very successful Ukrainian proverb - “obitsyanki - tsyatsyanki,” said a representative of Naftogaz.
As PolitNavigator reported, Israel is not ruling out the possibility that German Chancellor Angela Merkel will take a position on the board of directors of Nord Stream 2 after her resignation.
Read also: Even Parubiy on his knees wouldn’t have helped: What Merkel said at a closed meeting.
Naftogaz no longer believes Merkel 's promises and is preparing for Plan B.