Ukraine and Poland Will Oppose the Launch of Nord Stream 2

The United States and Germany issued a joint declaration in which the two countries agreed to complete Nord Stream 2 and voiced several initiatives to support Ukraine and counter Russian attempts to use energy as a weapon. They promised an extension of the agreement with Russia on gas transit through Ukraine for up to ten years, the creation of a Green Fund to promote the energy transition and energy security, the promotion of bilateral energy projects with Ukraine.

Ukraine and Poland responded to the declaration with a joint statement, stating that they would work with their allies and partners to counter the launch of Nord Stream 2 until solutions were developed to address the security crisis over the pipeline.

Nord Stream 2 is the second branch of the Nord Stream project, which aims to supply Russian gas to the EU bypassing Ukraine and the eastern EU member states. It is 95 per cent ready and can be completed already in 2021. The first branch (Nord Stream 1) has been operating since 2011-2012. The second branch may allow Gazprom to supply Russian gas to the EU without using the Ukrainian gas transportation system. Currently, transit is a serious deterrent to Russian aggression and its cessation will reduce Ukraine’s GDP by 3bpercent.