UA
FR
DEThe operator of Nord Stream 2 announced that the gas-in procedure for the first string of the pipeline has started.
“This string will be gradually filled to build the required inventory and pressure as a prerequisite for the later technical tests,” reads the statement released on the website of Nord Stream 2 AG.
It also became known that the Danish Energy Agency on 4 October accepted that the pipeline can be put into operation as the operator met the relevant conditions, including certification.
At the same time, the German Federal Network Agency asked Nord Stream 2 AG to provide guarantees that this pipeline complies with all European Union standards. The Agency said the request was made because it could not rule out that Nord Stream 2 operations could start soon.
Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna is sure that the certification procedure for the Russian gas pipeline will last from 6 to 9 months.
“We believe that any exceptions to this project are completely unacceptable. If the EU sees itself as a leader on the continent and believes that it has the right to aspire to an organisation that supports democratic development outside the European Union,” she stressed.
Stefanishyna added that Ukraine was conducting legal work to start preparing a decision on the certification of Nord Stream 2. All EU leaders should not only develop positions but also realise “this is a hybrid war.”
The day before, Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State Ned Price confirmed that Washington did not change its position on the issue, opposed the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, and considered it a “geopolitical project of the Russian Federation.”
As a reminder, Ukraine continues to insist that the Nord Stream 2 project is not an economic but a political one. The Russian Federation already uses the gas issue to put pressure on Europe and expand its influence.
Bohdan Marusyak
