Ukraine runs the risk of being left without gas transit, but there is a way to stop Gazprom and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Ukrainian Deputy Energy Minister Elena Zerkal said.
Ukraine needs to rebuild the gas transportation system (GTS) in case Gazprom stops gas transit through Ukraine and Kyiv has to buy gas from Europe, Zerkal said and complained about Germany’s behavior, since Berlin allegedly ignores the “threat.”
The Ukrainian authorities have a way out. “First, we need to protect consumers from possible transit stops,” Zerkal writes in an article for Evropeyskaya Pravda.
To do this, it is necessary to ensure a sufficient volume of gas in the storage facilities of Ukraine, as well as to include Ukraine in the “risk group” along with Germany, Poland, and Slovakia.
“Risk groups” are defined in Europe to prevent crisis situations with the availability of gas, “the Deputy Minister explained. The inclusion of Ukraine in the group will equalize the country in status with Germany, which should protect Kyiv.
It is also necessary to unite with other countries and prove that Gazprom is allegedly abusing its monopoly on gas supplies, and to deprive it of this opportunity.
“And here it is important to make Nord Stream 2 meet all the requirements of the EU’s Third Energy Package,” Zerkal said.
To preserve gas transit through Ukraine, it is necessary to ensure that all pipelines from Russia to Europe comply with the EU’s Third Energy Package. This will allow various suppliers and traders to compete, Zerkal stressed.
