Ukraine's President says North Stream 2 gas pipeline aims to 'weaken' his country
ADVERTISEMENT
Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko has been in Brussels to discuss free-trade and reforms. Energy security has also been one of the main topics on the agenda- as he met up with EU chiefs Jean Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk.
Kyiv wants to stop the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. And that's the message Poroshenko brought to Brussels.
"This is not a commercial project, this is not a profitable or economic project," said Poroshenko. "This is definitively a geopolitical project which try to make Ukraine weaker."
The pipeline aims to transport Russian gas directly to Germany, across the Baltic Sea, dodging Ukrainian territory. It represents a significant loss of income for Ukraine.
The EU has, in principle, aligned itself with Kyiv - as one expert explained to Euronews.
"The European Commission has many times repeated that they do not consider Nord Stream 2 to be strategic for the EU energy security," said Simone Tagliapietra from Bruegel.
"The interest of the EU is to keep supporting Ukraine and therefore safeguarding the gas transit and to secure the revenues of the Ukrainian government."
But there are divisions among the member states. And some countries like Germany seem to be tempted to put their industry interests first. Even if that contradicts political positions towards Russia.