Germany views Ukraine as reliable transit country for gas, promises to take into account its interests

Germany views Ukraine as a reliable transit country for gas and an important trading partner in the Eastern Europe region, so the German government will continue to support Kyiv.

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said this at a meeting with Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman, the Government portal reports.

"We must respect the interests of Ukraine, including financial ones, develop the guarantees in order to maintain gas transit through Ukraine and achieve positive results," Altmaier said.

In turn, the Prime Minister of Ukraine noted that Kyiv appreciated Germany's support in such an important time for Ukraine. "I want to highlight the firm stance of Germany and Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel on support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," he said.

Speaking about the transit potential of Ukraine and the capacities of the Ukrainian gas transportation system, Groysman noted that the Russian project for construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was not a commercial project.

"Nord Stream 2 is an exclusively geopolitical structure that is designed to exert political pressure on Ukraine and Europe and poses a direct threat to Ukraine," the Ukrainian Prime Minister believes.

"It is a profitable project for Russia as it will ensure the long-term dependence of the entire Europe on Russia, and there is no real guarantee that Nord Stream 2 will not be used for political purposes. At the same time, I guarantee that Ukraine has been and will be a reliable transit country and will provide 100% gas transit for European consumers. We are ready to modernize and manage our gas transportation system together with the international partners," Groysman added.

"We rely on Ukraine as a transporter," Altmaier said.

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