Zelensky about Talks with Merkel

The Ukrainian President was pleased with the meeting with the German Chancellor, where they talked about Ukraine's energy security. President Volodymyr Zelensky summed up the results of his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. At the Ukraine 30 forum on Tuesday, July 13, he announced that he was satisfied with the negotiations in Berlin. "On the whole, I am satisfied with our meeting, it was unexpectedly long, indeed more than 4 hours. It consisted of two parts. Part one is tete-a-tete, we discussed some important issues, and then we discussed, in principle, the agenda of our meeting," he said. The second part of the meeting was focused on "important matters," the president added. In particular, they talked about Nord Stream-2 and Ukraine's energy security. "We have different views on Nord Stream 2, but I believe that we have provided enough arguments to Germany. The chancellor will meet with President Biden and they will discuss what Nord Stream 2 brings: what it will bring to Europe and what it will bring to Ukraine and how to guarantee security, first of all to Ukraine," Zelensky said. The meeting also discussed gas supply to the occupied Donbass in the event of gas transit being interrupted after the launch of Nord Stream-2. "I gave examples, we really spent a lot of time of our conversation about gas supply, for example, to the occupied territories. I say frankly, if you say that this is a pure economy, and according to the Minsk agreements, everyone is protecting and waiting for the reintegration of Donbass ... And they are doing everything so that there is no catastrophe - environmental, energy, disaster due to water supply - all this can happen", Zelensky said, noting that Ukraine needs security guarantees in this matter. He recalled that Ukraine supplies water to the occupied Donbass. "It is very simple here - if we do not have gas supply, there is no gas transit, how will these territories be supplied? That is why this is not only an economic issue. Therefore, we must calculate all careless steps and have absolutely all guarantees," the president added. Merkel herself said yesterday that Berlin is serious about Kiev's concern about the future gas transit after the launch of Nord Stream 2, which cannot be a substitute for transit through Ukraine.