Zelensky, Scholz have ‘some differences’ in assessment of Nord Stream 2

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that he discussed the security risks posed by Nord Stream 2 with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, noting they have "some differences in assessment."

"We have discussed in detail the security risks associated with Nord Stream 2, and here we have some differences in assessment. I stressed that our position remains the same. Currently, we consider Nord Stream 2 solely through the prism of energy and security threats to us and the region. We clearly understand that this is a geopolitical weapon, which is why Ukraine needs energy security guarantees," Zelensky said at a joint press conference with Scholz, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The President added that he suggested launching a specific strategic dialogue in the energy sector to develop energy guarantees and effective support for Ukraine in the energy sector.

"It is important that Germany becomes a guarantor of continued gas transit through Ukraine," Zelensky stressed.

As reported, Nord Stream 2 is a Russian gas pipeline built from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea, bypassing Ukraine. The sole shareholder of the project is Gazprom.

In August, a German court ruled that Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was not exempt from EU gas directive. In November, the German federal regulator postponed the certification of Nord Stream 2 as an independent gas transmission operator.

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