Criticism of the EU can be explained by political motives, says German political scientist Alexander Rahr. The desire to preserve Ukraine as a transit country of Russian gas is the main objective of the European States, he said.
BRUSSELS, 17 Dec –, Maria Knyazev. The project “Northern stream-2” will be completed, despite playing in the EU critics in his address; complaints about the project are explained by political motives — the desire to preserve Ukraine as a transit country of Russian gas to the EU, because, without transit fees Ukraine can begin to seek additional financial assistance from the Union, money that has no. This opinion was expressed in an interview with RIA Novosti adviser of Gazprom on European Affairs, the German political scientist Alexander Rahr.
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia had previously sent to Brussels a joint letter criticizing the construction of the “Nord stream-2”. According to these countries, the pipeline project may increase Europe’s dependence on gas from Russia, severely undermine the energy security of countries of Central Europe and the EU as a whole, lead to further destabilization of the situation in Ukraine.
“There is only one logic and it is very political: there are absolutely clear guidelines on the part of political forces in the EU to artificially keep Ukraine in the game, the transit (of Russian gas to the EU — ed.) that she received money from Russia for transit. Ukraine needs these amounts,” said Rahr.
In his opinion, otherwise the Ukrainian authorities can start to request additional assistance from the U.S. and Europe. “And money isn’t present”, — he noted. “Open it, of course, no one says, but the situation is such,” added the analyst.
The project “Northern stream-2” involves the construction of two pipelines with a total capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year from the coast of the Russian Federation through the Baltic sea to Germany. Gazprom will own 50%, BASF, E. ON, Engie, OMV, Shell — 10% in the project. The new pipeline is planned to be built close to the “Nord stream-1”.
