Naftogaz of Ukraine cannot defeat alone the implementation of Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, bypassing the territory of Ukraine on the bottom of the Baltic Sea, and therefore the company needs the help of the government and the U.S. Senate, Ukrainian Unian reported on December 12, 2017.
«Preventing Nord Stream 2 is a mutual interest of the United States and Ukraine. Naftogaz is fighting to stop this dangerous project, which would increase the dependence of America's European allies on Russia and make them far more susceptible to Russian influence. But Russia has many Western partners in this project. Naftogaz can't defeat Nord Stream 2 alone. We need the support of the United States. We need the United States to make clear that it will not allow Europe to become more dependent on Russia,» Naftogaz CEO Andrey Kobolev said during a trip to Washington.
«Nord Stream 2 would not only be a blow to the Ukrainian economy and leave countries in Central and Eastern Europe vulnerable to Russian blackmail, it would take away Russia's only incentive to keep some level of stability in eastern Ukraine. Right now, Russia needs to transit gas through Ukraine to make money by selling it on the European market. But if Nord Stream 2 is built, Russia will no longer have to rely on Ukraine's gas transit system. These new conditions would allow Moscow to launch a full-scale war in eastern Ukraine. The United States must now allow such a situation to emerge,» Kobolev said during a meeting with Senator Chris Murphy, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Europe Subcommittee.
Kobolev´s visit to Washington, D.C. also included meetings with high-ranking U.S. officials at the National Security Council, Vice President's office, State Department, Energy Department, U.S. Agency for International development (USAID), Treasury Department, and on Capitol Hill.
