The Minister of Economy of Germany Laid out Conditions for the Nord Stream 2 Construction

The gas pipeline construction is possible if the Kyiv’s vital interests are preserved, said Peter Altmaier. Berlin stands for the preservation of gas transit through the territory of Ukraine after 2019. The Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline can be constructed “while preserving Ukraine’s vital interests”. The German Minister of Economy Peter Altmaier told Reuters in an interview conducted on Friday for publication on December 16. He stood for the preservation of gas transit through the territory of Ukraine after 2019. Altmaier stressed that after the escalation of the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv after the incident in the Kerch Strait, he does not intend to give in to calls from the United States and Ukraine, as well as members of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to abandon the construction of the Nord Stream 2. At the same time, the minister said that Russia’s actions in the strait were “a big mistake”, which “did not improve Russia’s position on other issues”. Disruption of the project and the supply of Russian gas through other pipelines will not allow Germany to reduce its dependence on Russia, Altmaier said. According to him, a higher level of independence is permissible if Germany, in addition to long-term gas contracts, creates infrastructure for the import of liquefied gas from other countries. The minister called for substantive debates about European interests in the issue of energy supply, since in the coming years Europe and, in particular, Germany, will face a “growth of gas demand”. Source: Facenews