Ukraine’s accession to NATO should become a guarantee for the country after the launch of the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline, the republic’s ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnik said in an interview with Die Welt.
He noted that Kiev opposed the launch of the Russian-German gas pipeline Nord Stream-2, and called on the West to show “new courage and as soon as possible to admit Ukraine to the North Atlantic Alliance”.
“Ukraine does not need assurances, but concrete binding security guarantees from the United States and Germany, best of all within the framework of an early entry into NATO”, Melnik demanded.
He added that Ukraine “sees a threat” in the implementation of the project and demanded to stop the gas pipeline, which is almost ready for commissioning.
The project is actively opposed by Ukraine, which is afraid of losing revenues from transit, and the United States, which is interested in promoting its LNG to Europe.
In July, Berlin and Washington issued a joint statement in which they noted that for its implementation, it is necessary to ensure the supply of fuel to Ukraine after 2024. In turn, Germany has pledged to seek sanctions from Brussels against Russia if Moscow uses energy exports as “an instrument of political pressure.”