Kiev threatens Russia with ‘full-scale conflict’ if gas transit to Europe through Ukraine stops
A
march in Kiev to mark the anniversary of the beginning of Euromaidan
© Sputnik
RT,
26
April, 2018
Kiev
has warned Moscow of ‘geopolitical consequences’ if Gazprom
ceases gas transits through the territory of Ukraine.
"If
there is no transit through the territory of Ukraine, then the
likelihood of a full-scale conflict between Russia and Ukraine is
also increasing. European politicians need to understand not only the
economic consequences for Ukraine, but also geopolitical consequences
for the whole world," the
commercial director at Ukraine’s main gas company Naftogaz Yuri
Vitrenko told the 112 Ukraine TV channel.
Russian gas transits through Ukraine to plunge dramatically
The
gas-transit contract between Kiev and Moscow expires in 2019. Gazprom
said on Tuesday that the contract will not be extended under any
circumstances. The company added that the gas transit may remain, but
only if Ukraine provides the necessary conditions for it.
"Now
the ball is on the Ukrainian side. It should justify the economic
attractiveness and the possibility of transit through Ukraine,” said
Gazprom Deputy Chairman of the Management Committee Aleksandr
Medvedev.
Russia
wants to significantly cut its gas transit through Ukraine and
re-direct it through the extension of the existing Nord Stream
pipeline from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea. Moscow says
Kiev has proved itself an unreliable partner in gas transits over the
years. Some of the gas to Europe could also come through the Turkish
Stream pipeline, currently under construction.
When
the two pipelines are completed, transit through Ukraine is expected
to fall by more than 80 percent, according to Gazprom CEO Aleksey
Miller. He added that Gazprom does not intend to help neighboring
countries restore their economies at its own expense.
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