Nord Stream-2 Project Aimed to Guarantee Regular Gas Supply to Europe - Envoy

Russia's envoy to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov says that the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project will ensure regular gas supplies to Europe and is not seeking Ukraine's exclusion from the gas transit process.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project will ensure regular gas supplies to Europe and is not seeking Ukraine's exclusion from the gas transit process, Russia's envoy to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov said Monday.

Earlier in the month, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk expressed concern that the construction of the second leg of Russia's Nord Stream pipeline would deprive Kiev the ability to transit gas to the European Union and lead to a loss of $2 billion in revenue.

"This is a project that will ensure stable gas supplies in the long run, not only for the northern part of Europe but… for another part of Europe as well," Chizhov said in an interview with Rossiya-24 television, stressing that Nord Stream-2 is not a political project aimed at pushing Ukraine back from gas transit.

On January 19, 2009, Russia's energy company Gazprom and Ukraine's national oil and gas company Naftogaz signed two contracts on the supply of Russian gas to Ukraine and transit of Russian gas through the Ukrainian gas transport system to Europe. Both contracts are valid for 10 years.

Chizhov stressed that Gazprom would not be able to supply gas through Ukraine should Kiev and Moscow fail to sign a new contract or have any agreement on the issue.

The Nord Stream-2 project's capacity could reach up to 55 billion cubic meters of direct annual gas supplies from Russia through the Baltic Sea to European customers.