Naftogaz CEO names “best guarantee” of continued gas transit

That’s according to CEO of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine Yuriy Vitrenko who spoke on a Pravo na Vladu (Right to Power) panel show, Ukrinform reports.

"The best guarantee would be the contracts with European companies," Vitrenko said.

The Naftogaz chief has added that negotiations to this end are set to kick off soon.

"We are now waiting for the promised consultations at the technical level. These will be negotiations to be organized by the Germans. We will talk to European companies about specific contracts for gas transit through Ukraine. This is exactly what guarantees should be like. If these contracts are violated, we will be suing with European courts," the head of the company noted.

At the same time, Vitrenko stressed that Ukraine did not stand against extending the existing gas transit contract with Russia for another 10 years, while not considering the deal a decent guarantee.

Memo

Nord Stream 2 is a Russian gas pipeline being built bypassing Ukraine. It is being laid along the bottom of the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. The project’s sole shareholder is Russia’s OJSC Gazprom.

In July, Germany and the United States reached an agreement regarding Nord Stream 2, according to which the United States would not oppose the completion of the pipe, while Germany undertook to impose sanctions on Russia if Moscow went for another round of aggression against Ukraine, as well as to assist Ukraine in energy transformation efforts.

In August, Nord Stream AG, the construction operator of Nord Stream 2, lost a case in a German court to exempt the pipeline from the requirements of the EU gas directive.

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