What Europe can learn from Ukraine’s gas woes with RussiaTherefore, Kyiv should not harshly criticize Biden's decision on Nord Stream 2, as it can only seriously and permanently damage relations with the United States. In addition, the sanctions have not yet been completely lifted and Biden is clearly waiting for the situation in Berlin autumn after the elections. What should Ukraine do in this case? It would be much more productive for Kyiv to focus on discussions with the US, Germany, Brussels and other European partners regarding the conditions for allowing the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline to operate in the context of maintaining transit via Ukraine. I would like to stress two important points. The first is directly related to the fact that the key transit route through Ukraine to Europe leads to the border with Slovakia, the border points Uzhhorod - Veľké Kapušany. Gas is currently being transported through them, which Gazprom plans to transfer to Nord Stream-2. It should be noted at the outset that many, especially in Berlin, mistakenly claim that this new pipeline needs to supply Germany with gas following the impending closure of nuclear power plants. That is not entirely true. Much of its annual capacity - 55 billion cubic meters - is dedicated to Central and Southern Europe, including Slovakia, Austria, and Italy. And this is exactly the gas that is now coming to these regions via Ukraine.

Therefore, if Berlin and other European partners claim that they want to promote transit through Ukraine in negotiations with Moscow on Nord Stream 2, in practice this primarily means that we should talk about the same transit conditions throughout the Ukrainian-Slovak transit route.
Following the introduction of Nord Stream-2, we will have a situation where more than half of Gazprom's exports to the EU, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are concentrated in one place on the Baltic coast in Greifswald, Germany. Further concentration will take place in a southerly direction via the "Turkish stream."

The argument that all these new pipelines will improve the diversification of supplies to the EU is only valid if transport through Ukraine remains at its current level. Otherwise, new dominant and for some EU regions - even monopoly transport corridor - would be created, mainly through Germany.

Karel Hirman is an energy expert of the Strategic Group of Reform Advisers to the Government of Ukraine (2015-2019), Energy Adviser to the Prime Minister of Slovakia Iveta Radičova (2010-2012)
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