Status: 07/12/2021 8:55 pm
Ukraine sees its security threatened by the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. At a meeting with President Zelenskyi, Chancellor Merkel pledged Germany’s support – and commented on the dispute with the United States.
In the ongoing dispute over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised Ukraine support. “Germany and France have the same position that Ukraine must remain an energy transit country,” she said at a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj in Berlin. There are great concerns on the Ukrainian side. “We take them seriously.”
At the same time, Merkel was skeptical as to whether a final solution to the dispute over Nord Stream 2 could be found during her visit to US President Joe Biden. She will discuss the matter with Biden this Thursday. I don’t know that “the papers are already completely finished by then. I don’t think so,” added Merkel. “But there will be important discussions to develop such a common position.”
Ukraine sees its security threatened
Selenskyj spoke out in favor of finding a solution to the dispute over the gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea, which was rejected by the USA and many EU countries, in the so-called Normandy format together with Russia, France and Germany. His country sees its security threatened by the German-Russian project, said Selenskyj, who again demanded guarantees for the future energy supply of his country.
He also spoke out in favor of including the USA in the Normandy format launched in 2014 on the energy issue. The USA could also be included in the search for a solution in a different format, said Selenskyj when asked.
Merkel said that if they were to meet again in the Normandy format, “of course the topic of energy would also be an important topic for us”. However, a formal inclusion of energy issues would go beyond the scope of the Minsk Agreement for the Pacification of the Conflict in the Region.