Kremlin: Gas Sale is Primary Issue, Transit via Ukraine is Secondary One

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The topic of gas transportation through Ukraine is a secondary issue, the fuel must first be sold, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

"As for transit affairs, certainly, we need to address the question to Gazprom. I just want to remind you of [Russian] President Putin’s statement that in order to transit something, you need to sell it, you need to have final buyers in Europe, for whom this transit will be carried out," Peskov said when asked about the date of negotiations on gas transit through Ukraine after 2024.

He added that until Gazprom is determined on this line, negotiations on transit will remain a second priority.

"First, you need to sell gas. This has been explained by President Putin many times," he added.

Peskov added that Moscow hopes that there will be no threats to the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as European consumers are interested in the project.

"Of course, we would prefer that there were no threats to the completion of the Nord Stream 2 certification process ... Because the certification and launch of this project are in the interests of all European consumers," Peskov told reporters when asked whether Russia sees any threat to the launch of Nord Stream 2, given that Ukraine has joined the European certification process.