Germany Wants Russia-Ukraine Gas Deal To Be Signed Before Nord Stream 2 Launch - Minister

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd January, 2019) Germany hopes that an agreement guaranteeing continuation of Russian gas transit via Ukraine will be signed before the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, designed to deliver Russian gas to Europe bypassing Ukraine, is put into service, German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier said on Tuesday.

"We want Ukraine to maintain its gas transit in future. We have managed to launch direct talks between Ukraine and Russia ... And we want an agreement that will defend Ukraine's fair interests to be signed before the Nord Stream 2 launch," Altmaier said at an energy conference organized by the Handelsblatt newspaper.

He stressed that not only Germany had authorized the Nord Stream 2 construction on its territory, but other countries, including Finland, as well.

Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Russian energy giant Gazprom and five European companies.

It aims to deliver 55 billion cubic meters (around 2 trillion cubic feet) of Russian natural gas a year to the European Union through the Baltic Sea to a hub in Germany, bypassing Ukraine. Nord Stream 2 is expected to be put into operation by the end of the year.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has repeatedly noted that Berlin considered the Nord Stream 2 as a commercial project, which is in line with Russia's claims. Russia states that the Nord Stream 2 project is completely commercial and competitive, and it does not imply that the transit of Russian gas to the European Union through Ukraine will be terminated � something Ukraine is concerned over.

The current Russian-Ukrainian gas contract expires on December 31.