Russia will be forced to extend the agreement on gas transit through Ukraine or sign a new contract if the West does not allow Moscow to launch Nord Stream 2, energy expert Mikhail Gonchar, president of the Strategy XXI Globalist Center, wrote in an article for Glavred.
In his opinion, only pressure on the pipeline can make Moscow "make a goodwill gesture" towards Kiev.
"Of course, if the European Union, particularly Germany, takes a tough stance on Nord Stream-2 as a project, which is not in line with European interests and principles, then Russia will have nowhere to go but to extend the agreement with Ukraine or sign a new one," Gonchar believes.
At the same time, the author of the article argues that prolonging the agreement on gas transit through Ukrainian territory now "is not in Russia's plans."
"Moscow's goal is to nullify Ukraine on the transit of Russian gas before the current agreement expires," the expert said.
"Nord Stream 2 is a 55-billion-cubic-meter-per-year pipeline that runs along the bottom of the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. Its construction was completed in September. In early October, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said that Ukraine will insist on keeping gas transit through its territory for at least 15 years after the pipeline is launched.
Russia and Ukraine signed a package of agreements in late 2019 to continue gas transit through the territory of the republic, including a five-year transit contract under which Gazprom guarantees to pump 65 billion cubic meters of gas in the first year and 40 billion each in the following four years. These agreements ensured the continuation of transit after the expiration of the previous contract.
The head of "Gazprom" Alexey Miller said that the company is ready to continue the transit of gas through Ukraine after 2024, based on economic feasibility and technical condition of the Ukrainian gas transportation system. At the same time, he pointed out that the volume of transit would have to correspond to the new volumes of Russian gas purchased by EU companies under new contracts.
You must be logged in to post a comment.