According to him:
- the country is negotiating with our European partners at present because the extension of this contract also depends on them
The Ukrainian prime minister said:
- it would be ideal to extend these conditions for 15 years
- Ukraine was prepared to boost gas transit to 55 million m3, if Gazprom wants to take up the offer
However, certification of the Baltic Sea link was suspended last week until the company reorganizes itself in accordance with German law.
Ukraine has warned it stands to lose billions of dollars if its vital financial lifeline is cut off, and says the delay is down to its own lobbying.
Speaking to the UK’s Financial Times earlier this month, Yuriy Vitrenko, the head of Ukraine’s state gas firm Naftogaz, went as far as to claim that the new project escalates «the chances of a full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine.»
According to him, Moscow potentially circumventing its neighbor could make Kiev more vulnerable to an «invasion.»
Ukrainian President V.Zelensky has also condemned the Russian venture and vowed that Kiev will «continue its fight» against the new gas network «until and after its completion.»
His Russian counterpart, V.Putin, however, has attempted to reassure parties that there will be no major manipulation of major gas supply plans:
- Firstly, we should not put anyone in a difficult position, including Ukraine, despite all the complexities related to Russian-Ukrainian relations today
- Secondly, we should not undermine the credibility of Gazprom as a reliable, absolutely reliable, partner in every way
Moscow denies that it is planning such an offensive, insisting that «the movement of some of our military equipment or army units across the territory of the Russian Federation is exclusively our business.»