After the change of government in Germany, ukrainian officials await if there is a new approach concerning the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. However for Naftogaz-CEO Yuri Vitrenko there is no change to expect from Russia. An interview with german newspaper BILD:
The traffic light-coalition is arguing about a contaminated legacy from Merkel and Groko days: the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
▶ ︎ The Greens want to prevent it, see it as a political project by the Kremlin to blackmail Eastern Europe and especially Ukraine.
▶ ︎ The SPD is traditionally in favor of the project in which its ex-boss Gerhard Schröder is the boss.
Apart from Germany and Austria, nobody in the EU is in favor of the Gazprom pipeline. And Ukraine in particular, which has hitherto been the main transit country for Kremlin gas, warns.
BILD spoke to Yuriy Vitrenko (45), the head of the Ukrainian state gas company Naftogaz.
BILD: Mr. Vitrenko, in the Merkel government, just like your government and the governments of Eastern Europe, you failed in demanding that the Kremlin Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline not be put into operation. Do you see any signs of a new attitude from the new federal government?
Yuriy Vitrenko: “Yes, with the new German government we hope that Putin will no longer get through so easily, that Germany will learn from its old mistakes. The Greens in particular are very clear in their positions. So there are positive signs - also from the FDP and even from the post-Merkel CDU. "
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the Greens has made it clear that, in his view, the pipeline is currently not approvable. Do you trust Chancellor Olaf Scholz in this matter?
Vitrenko: “That is indeed a question, because Mr. Scholz was part of the system of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who hired himself to the Kremlin, and he was Vice Chancellor under Ms. Merkel. Both governments have made Putin's gas pipelines possible. But overall the signs are better than under the old German government. "
Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck of the Greens has made it clear that, in his view, the pipeline is currently not approvable. Do you trust Chancellor Olaf Scholz in this matter?
Vitrenko: “That is indeed a question, because Mr. Scholz was part of the system of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who hired himself to the Kremlin, and he was Vice Chancellor under Ms. Merkel. Both governments have made Putin's gas pipelines possible. But overall the signs are better than under the old German government. "
In Germany it is argued that the pipeline will be carried by a consortium ...
Vitrenko: “That is a pseudo-argument! Everything is in Gazprom's hands, only a handful of companies from Germany appear to be represented as consortium partners. These are straw partners that Gazprom pays for it with a trick: the so-called partners borrow money for low interest rates, pass it on to Gazprom for a higher percentage than pro forma financiers - and thus earn money from it. They effectively have nothing to do with the pipeline, they are part of the Kremlin's lobby and blackmail network. "
What does Putin want, why is he using so massive resources to get the pipeline online?
Vitrenko: “Putin has a clear goal, with which his German lobbyists around Gerhard Schröder and in some parties are helping him: He wants to go back to the old days, when the Soviet Union had long-term gas contracts with other countries - and these in Could keep dependency. To do this, he wants to destroy the liberal European gas market, which severely restricts his price dictation and political influence, as well as the possibility of political blackmail from other countries. Gas is a weapon for the Kremlin. Liberal markets are a nuisance. "
Russia is seen in Germany as a safe and reliable gas supplier ... Isn't that true?
Vitrenko: “That's not true at all for Ukraine. And that does not apply to Germany either, where he did not deliver in accordance with the contract, for example in 2015. And at the moment their gas storage facilities are more empty than full. Putin has broken his promises and commitments several times. "
The German government has always pointed out to the Ukraine that the Kremlin has given promises about gas deliveries and gas pipelines through Ukraine ...
Vitrenko: “First of all, these commitments are only valid until 2024 - that's really not long. And what if Gazprom doesn't stick to it, doesn't pump anything through our pipeline system? Then all it has to do is pay fines, which the Kremlin can cope with in view of the immense effects in Ukraine and is priced in. For us, however, this means enormous risks: If nothing is physically passed through, it is technically demanding, dangerous and also a serious security risk for us. Because that can also mean that Russia is preparing military steps again. We just don't trust it - from experience.
In the West, the deployment of Russian soldiers on the border with Ukraine is being watched with tension and alarm. What do you expect this winter - a war?
Vitrenko: “No, probably not. At the moment it looks like Putin wants to show again: 'I can do it!' This is part of his brutal blackmail and violence policy: provoke, threaten and blackmail. And at the same time he lets Gazprom use the gas as a political weapon. "
For the German energy transition, Ms. Merkel has relied on hydrogen, which should also come from Russia. Is there a threat of the next addiction?
Vitrenko: "If Germany continues as before: Yes."
What if Germany does let the pipeline go online and the approval authorities give the green light?
Vitrenko: “If Putin changes, respects the liberal gas market, stops his extortion policy, if Gazprom no longer uses its gas as a geopolitical weapon, if guarantees are kept and other states are not blackmailed, if customers in the EU can choose where they want want to buy their Gazprom gas, so Gazprom no longer controls and owns everything: no problem ... "
But you don't believe in that ...
Vitrenko: “No. And you know what is strange for us in Ukraine: Germany is the leading power in the EU, and we want to join the EU. And at the same time we have to watch how Germany participated in the split, played the Kremlin's game: The moment Germany gave the green light for the construction of Nord Stream 2, Putin started the invasion of Ukraine, then he knew that he could march in. We'll wait and see what he'll take out when he's ready to put the pipeline into operation. We don't expect anything good ... "
No comments:
Post a Comment