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The emissaries of Moscow and Kiev met today in Berlin for EU – supported negotiations on future deliveries of Russian gas through Ukraine, which is feared by the government. be left in the cold by a major new pipeline. The Baltic Sea pipeline from Russia to Germany, which will bypbad it geographically, will also leave it politically isolated and deprive it of crucial transit costs.
US President Donald Trump weighed in on the dispute, accusing the pipeline of increasingly making Germany "captive to Russia" while vowing that the United States will compete in Europe with tanker trucks. liquefied natural gas (LNG). Gazprom, the state-controlled gas giant, has already significantly reduced the volume of gas flowing through Ukraine, where an armed conflict has erupted against pro-Moscow rebels since the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014.
Gazprom and its partners Nord Stream 2 – effectively doubling the Russian shipments currently transiting through the Nord Stream Line 1.
Another project is expected to be completed by the end of 2019, the Turkish gas pipeline Stream, threatening to further reduce the traditional role of Ukraine as a gateway to Europe for Russian gas
The Nord Stream 2 plan has raised fears in the EU, and in particular in Eastern Europe, excessive dependence on gas from a hostile Russia
In previous disputes, Russian supplies to European markets were temporarily cut in 2006 and 2009, sometimes in the middle of winter.
Berlin talks brought together Russian ] Energy Minister Alexander Novak, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and Vice President of the European Commission for Energy, Maros Sefcovic, as well as the leaders of Gazprom and his Ukrainian counterpart Naftogaz
corner, and we must answer this question, "said Sefcovic." Will we have a significant agreement on January 1, 2020 for transit through the Ukraine that is commercially viable? "Trump last week weighed in the dispute and attacked Chancellor Angela Merkel in accusing this ally of NATO" Germany is captive to Russia because & ## She receives a lot of her energy from Russia. "
At her Helsinki meeting on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump reiterated that the United States, thanks to its smashing boom of 39, energy, could compete enter Europe by selling LNG.
Although LNG shipped across the Atlantic is less economically viable, Trump expressed hope that Putin was conciliatory, saying that Russia was ready to continue its transit via Ukraine after the summer. Entry into force of Nord Stream 2 and to extend the transit agreement beyond 2019.
The Russian leader added that Russia had a small advantage. that this would be possible if Gazprom and Naftogaz resolved their gas dispute before an arbitral tribunal in Stockholm.
Germany, the largest economy in the EU, has long insisted that Nord Stream 2 is a purel But under growing pressure from Western allies, Merkel stressed in April that Ukraine should not be isolated and continue to play a key role in the transit of Europe. Merkel's Minister of Economy, Peter Altmaier, said the goal of Tuesday's talks was "a reliable, long-term solution that serves the interests of both parties and addresses in particular the security concerns of both sides." l & # 39; Ukraine. " "It has not been easy for Ukraine to negotiate with Russia, especially since 2014," he said, adding that there was "a lot of mistrust and complaints. "
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko once urged Germany to give up He plans to build Nord Stream 2, warning that this would constitute an "economic and energy blockade" of his country torn apart by the crisis.
European demand for gas has increased since 2015, mainly due to a drop in production in the Netherlands.
Russia, with its vast deposits of Siberian gas, has the largest reserves of natural gas in the world, and last winter Gazprom increased its exports to Europe to a record high. particularly cold weather. personal and is generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
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