MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd September, 2021) The United States and Ukraine continue to oppose the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, viewing the Russian-led project as a threat to the European energy security, they said in a joint statement on Wednesday.
The Joint Statement on the US-Ukraine Strategic Partnership came following a meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is currently on a working visit to Washington.
"The United States and Ukraine continue to oppose Nord Stream 2, which we view as a threat to European energy security. The United States intends to continue using measures envisaged in legislation and energy diplomacy, including through the recent appointment of a senior advisor for energy security, to maintain Ukraine's transit role and security of supply during this period of energy transition and to prevent the Kremlin's use of energy as a geopolitical weapon," the statement read.
The countries intend to strengthen Ukraine's energy security "through sustainable, effective, and long-lasting policy solutions backed up by ongoing corporate governance reform," the statement added.
The Nord Stream 2 project provides for the construction of a 745-mile offshore twin pipeline, which will supply up to 1.9 trillion cubic feet of gas per year from Russia to Germany. The US and Ukraine were both opposed the project since its inception in 2012. In July, the US made a joint statement with Germany wherein it said it would no longer try to hinder Nord Stream 2.
Ukraine, on the other hand, still protests the pipeline's construction, expressing concern that Russia will use Nord Stream 2 as a geopolitical weapon. Russia has repeatedly said that the project is purely commercial, expressing readiness to continue using Ukraine's transit services to transport gas to Europe.
