Reuters: Germany and US Almost Made Deal on Nord Stream 2

The United States and Germany near a deal on the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that will allow Russian gas to be supplied to Western Europe bypassing Ukraine. According to Reuters, the deal is expected to be announced in the coming days.

As sources familiar with the matter said, the countries are going to agree on avoiding the imposition of U.S. sanctions on the pipeline operator and its management.

Both countries, according to sources, will announce significant investments in the modernisation of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Germany intends to guarantee Ukraine natural gas supplies if the Russian Federation stops supplying it.

As it became known earlier, U.S. Department of State Counselor Derek Chollet, a diplomat from the Obama–Biden team, is arriving in Kyiv to coordinate these issues with the Ukrainian authorities. He is involved in special visits and negotiations on specific important topical issues.

It is officially reported that Chollet is to meet with government officials in Kyiv to discuss support for Ukraine’s efforts to counter Russian aggression and further promote economic and anti-corruption reforms.

As reported, at a meeting in July, U.S. President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel “agreed not to agree” on Nord Stream 2. At the meeting, Biden expressed concern over the completion of the gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea as the United States believes that Moscow will use it against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian authorities insist that Nord Stream 2 is a weapon directed against Ukraine and the whole of Europe.

Bohdan Marusyak