US aims for gas domination in Europe, Ukrainian MP says. Nord Stream 2 is 1st target, then existing European pipeline system

If the US succeeds in destroying the Russian-German Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, Washington’s next target will be the Ukrainian Gas Transmission System. That’s according to Yury Zagorodny, an opposition MP in Kiev’s parliament.

Zagorodny believes that the United States is trying to win the European gas market by ousting its main competition, Russia. Moscow is a major player in the European energy sector, providing a large percentage of the continent’s gas. As things stand, Russian natural gas is delivered to Europe through Belarus, Ukraine, and the Baltic Sea. With the construction of a second Baltic pipeline now coming under question, Zagorodny is worried that the Ukrainian pipes might be the next target. “If the West blocks Nord Stream 2, our Gas Transmission System will be the next goal.” Zagorodny said, claiming that the US will help “end her days ingloriously.” 

Ukraine has one of the most developed networks of pipelines in the world, and currently transports a significant percentage of all Russian natural gas, providing significant income for the country’s budget. At the end of 2019, the two countries signed a five-year deal set to net Kiev $7 billion in gas transit fees by 2024.

Although Zagorodny sees the cancellation of Nord Stream 2 as a threat to Ukraine, many other Ukrainians believe the opposite. If constructed, Nord Stream 2 would connect Russia directly to Germany, cutting out the Ukrainian middleman. It is already more than 90 percent complete. In a statement posted to the website of his political party, ‘Opposition Platform — For Life’, the MP said that the US seized power in Ukraine following the 2014 Maidan Revolution, allowing them to pursue not only political but also economic goals.

The United States has long been opposed to Nord Stream 2, claiming that it would “undermine Europe’s overall energy security and stability.” However, the US position has been compromised by its own goal to sell American liquefied natural gas to the European Union, leading many to believe that Washington’s true motivations are economic. At the end of 2019, the construction of Nord Stream 2 was gravely complicated after US President Donald Trump approved sanctions against the pipeline.

Discussion about completely ending Nord Stream 2 re-started in August 2020, when Western politicians discussed further sanctions following the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny. On Thursday, European parliamentarians demanded that Germany end the construction of the pipeline. So far, any further measures against Nord Stream 2 have been resisted by Berlin.

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