Moscow does not use the issue of gas transit as a weapon, Zakharova said, adding that the US-Germany deal on the Nord Stream-2 will not interfere with the project. Washington has not ruled out sanctions if the pipeline is used for political purposes
Russia has never used the issue of energy supply or gas transit as a weapon, and is not going to do it in the future. This was stated at a briefing by the official representative of the Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.
“We have never had any intentions not to supply gas to Ukraine, through Ukraine. This issue is purely commercial in nature, it is the prerogative of the relevant economic entities, ” she said (quoted by RIA Novosti). Zakharova added that Moscow supports the depoliticization of cooperation in the field of energy.
The day before, the United States and Germany issued a joint statement on the Russian gas pipeline “Nord Stream-2”, which allows Russia to complete the pipeline without additional sanctions against the project participants. In particular, it says that Germany will seek to extend the contract for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine for another ten years after 2024, and Berlin and Washington will also help Kiev with the diversification of energy sources.
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According to the agreement, Germany will require the European Union to take effective measures against Russia if the country tries to use energy as a weapon. The US State Department also said that it is ready to impose sanctions against Russia if it considers that it uses the gas pipeline to the detriment of the interests of Ukraine or other countries.
According to Zakharova, the agreement between the United States and Germany will not prevent the implementation of the pipeline. The representative of the Foreign Ministry added that it is strange for Russia to hear statements about mandatory gas transit through Ukraine for ten years, without paying attention to the economic component. “Of course, there is still hope that common sense among our Western partners will prevail and there will be a reasonable solution based not on political speculation, phobias and myths, but on pragmatic, economic calculations,” she added.
Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, in turn, noted that the agreement between Berlin and Kiev to promote the extension of the agreement on the transit of Russian gas does not mention Moscow. “After all, this agreement can be extended between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, so I don’t have such an effectI know how to translate this into other languages, but in Russian it is “without me, they married me,” he said. The Kremlin representative recalled that Moscow has repeatedly said that it is ready to discuss the extension of the gas transit agreement through Ukraine after 2024.
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