Official: Germany needs both Ukraine, N Stream-2 gas transit

SOCHI, Dec 6 (PRIME) -- The German business is sure that Russian gas transit to Europe across Ukraine and the launch of gas pipeline Nord Stream-2 are necessary, Deputy Chairwoman of the German Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations and Chairwoman of the supervisory board of Claas Katrina Claas-Muhlhauser said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

“We are convinced that keeping the transit network on the territory of Ukraine for Russian gas shipments to Europe securely and for a long time is necessary. We are also sure that the Nord Stream-2 project will be a tremendous success, we need both. Because demand for gas is growing and a pipeline is the best way to carry gas,” the official said.

The president said that the Nord Stream-2 is almost ready. “Laying of the Nord Stream-2 pipeline, whose use will allow us to double the amount of possible supplies of Russian gas under the Baltic route, are close to completion,” he said.

Putin also said that construction of the pipeline does not mean Russia’s desire to stop gas transit across Ukraine. “I want to say once again that this (the launch of Nord Stream-2) does not mean at all that Russia plans to stop transit across the territory of Ukraine. This issue is not in the territory but in economic sense,” he said.

Putin hopes that Russia and Ukraine will find an acceptable gas solution. “I see that there are requests on both sides that are, frankly speaking, hard to fulfill but I hope that participants of the negotiations, the companies first of all, will find solutions that would be acceptable for them,” he said.

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