Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Thursday that Denmark’s decision to endorse the Nord Stream 2 pipeline strengthens Russia while weakening Europe. The pipeline is developed by Russia and is meant to bypass the Ukrainian territory.
On Wednesday, Denmark gave Russia’s Gazprom the green light to build its gas export pipeline through its waters. The Danish position was the last major hurdle for the Moscow-backed company to carry on with its 1,230 km pipeline.
Now Ukraine’s economy might lose billions of US dollars in transit fees if Moscow is moving it away from Russian gas transit to the EU.
Speaking at a joint briefing with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Zelenskiy said:
“This is a
geopolitical issue, this strengthens Russia and weakens Europe.”
The US and several Nordic, Baltic, and East European countries are worried that Russia’s pipeline will increase the EU’s reliance on its gas. The project would double the annual capacity of Nord Stream to 110 billion cm3, which will represent more than half of Russia’s total gas exports to Europe.
The European Commission reiterated that the pipeline should be handled according to EU regulations.