Kiev already knows the date when Ukraine will be left without Russian transit
If Russia completes and launches the Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream gas pipelines, then Ukraine will immediately lose the opportunity to transport Russian gas. This could happen in 2021, and possibly earlier - in 2020, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
Commercial Director of Naftogaz of Ukraine Yuriy Vitrenko said this in an interview with the Kyiv publication Novoye Vremya.
“If Nord Stream 2 and both lines of the Turkish Stream are built and launched, there is a high probability that transit through Ukraine will immediately be zero. Nord Stream 2 can theoretically be completed by the end of 2019. However, most likely, the builders will be a year late, that is, it will be the end of 2020. Accordingly, there will be no transit from 2021,” Vitrenko said.
At the same time, according to him, Ukraine may lose transit earlier.
“For example, Gazprom will pump more gas next year and place it in underground storage facilities in Europe. And in 2020, less gas can be supplied to Europe. In such a situation, we will not have transit in two years. This is a serious risk,” Vitrenko emphasized.
Let us recall that Deputy Energy Minister Natalya Boyko previously reported that Ukraine is considering the possibility of so-called zero transit if the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline is completed.
Kyiv already knows the date when Ukraine will be left without Russian transit.