Nord Stream 2: Ukraine does not trust “peace”

The concern in Kiev is great: The German-American agreement on Nord Stream 2 is nice, but how will Russia behave? Ukraine fears that Moscow could use gas as a pressure medium.

The Ukrainian political observer Dmytro Kornijtschuk feels transported back to the 1990s: “This situation reminds me of the Budapest Memorandum. People wanted Ukraine to renounce nuclear weapons and told us fairy tales about how they would defend us, that one would guarantee our territorial unity and give money. It ended with nobody defending Ukraine in 2014. ”

Will Russia keep its commitments?

Russia annexed the Crimea. A war broke out in the east of the country that smoldering to this day. The West mediates, but a political solution is not in sight.

There is great concern in Kiev that this or something similar could also work out on Nord Stream 2. The promises are all well and good. The security guarantees, however, have a crucial catch, emphasizes the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba: “And that consists in the fact that it is not clear whether Russia is ready to meet its obligations when it comes to Ukraine’s energy security and the preservation of Ukraine as a transit country . ”

Kiev is dependent on income

In any case, Germany can hardly guarantee that Russia will continue to use Ukraine as a transit country, says the head of the Ukrainian gas company Naftogaz, Vitrenko. But the country is dependent on the income. If they break away, it has a direct impact on the already ailing national budget.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov also suggests that Germany may be politically rioting with its commitments.

Surprise at the German-American agreement

Kremlin spokesman Peskow was also publicly surprised at the agreement between Germany and the United States. According to Peskov, the document states that Germany will use all possible levers to push ahead with a ten-year extension of the gas transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine. The document does not even mention the Russian Federation, although such an agreement can only be extended between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

Gas or Oil as a Political Weapon? No!

Russian President Putin is quite ready for talks. Ultimately, however, the final decision rests with the company. And there is one thing above all else: profitability. The Nord Stream 2 project also has a purely economic character, Moscow emphasized once again.

The fact that Russia uses gas or oil as a political weapon was denied as a malicious allegation. As well as the accusation that they are acting aggressively towards Ukraine.

Complaint filed against Ukraine

On the other hand, says Russia’s Foreign Office spokeswoman Maria Sakharova, it will probably be a shoe: “We call on the international community to finally pay attention to the events in Ukraine.”

Russia has now filed a complaint against Ukraine with the European Court of Human Rights. This involves a whole range of allegations: from the suppression of the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine to the blockade of drinking water in Crimea.

A complaint that speaks volumes from a Ukrainian perspective. The subject of Nord Stream 2 must remain on the agenda. Fine-sounding promises were not enough to contain Russia. It is said in Kiev that clear and serious security guarantees are needed.