You're reading: Verkhovna Rada speaker sees Nord Stream 2 as military threat to Ukraine

Verkhovna Rada Speaker Andriy Parubiy has described the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project as a security threat coming from Russia.

“Ukraine’s security, including that in the field of energy, is inseparable from European security. Hence, we are preparing to resist this newest Russian energy weapon, Nord Stream 2, which presents not only economic and political but also military danger,” Parubiy said at a press conference in Kyiv on June 27.

While explaining the military threat coming from Nord Stream 2 to Ukraine, the speaker said it would negate the significance of Ukrainian gas pipelines as infrastructures needed for carrying Russian gas to Europe. “Russia will no longer abstain from mounting a massive invasion of Ukraine after the presence of gas pipelines, which are transporting Russian gas to the West European markets, in our territory loses its importance,” Parubiy said.

He also described Nord Stream 2 as “a mechanism for Russia’s political pressure on EU member countries.”