Candidate For German Chancellor Says EU Can Eliminate Nord Stream 2 Risks To Ukraine

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2021) The European Union can eliminate geopolitical risks to Ukraine associated with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline by imposing special conditions for the gas supply, Armin Laschet, the conservative CDU/CSU alliance's candidate for German chancellor in the upcoming elections, said on Wednesday.

"The pipeline may be ready in August-September, and it will require a new European permit, so that gas could flow. Then a condition could be introduced that it is not allowed to use it [the pipeline] for geopolitical purposes," Laschet told a panel discussion held by Germany's Stuttgarter Zeitung.

While responding to a remark that Ukraine would lose from gas transit flows being diverted away from the country, the politician noted that Germany will win from the Nord Stream 2 project, as it will need "more gas in the next years.

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Earlier in July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described Nord Stream 2 as "a weapon against Ukraine" and "all of Europe in the future," because its launch allegedly has nothing to do with economy. Russia has repeatedly said that the project is purely commercial, not political, expressing readiness to continue using Ukraine's transport capacities to transport gas to Europe, despite building additional pipelines.