Photo: Gennady Cherkasov
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the text of the German declaration and the USA on the issue of extending gas transit through Ukraine after 2024. According to him, the document makes no mention of the Russian Federation.
The text also states that “ Germany will use all available levers of influence“ to achieve the extension of the gas transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine for a period of up to 10 years. However, the agreement can only be extended between Ukraine and Russia. In this regard, Peskov described these statements as saying: “They married me without me.” It is “purely a question of economic viability and profitability,” he said. Peskov added that the Kremlin would prefer to see in this joint statement “and passes on to Ukraine that Ukraine should take a responsible position” in ensuring economically viable conditions for the continuation of such transit. However, the Kremlin did not see such a report.
Russian Senator Alexei Pushkov previously commented in his telegram channel on negotiations between the USA and Germany regarding the transit of Russian gas through the territory of Ukraine. According to him, the White House does not really deal with the position of Ukraine as much as its own geopolitical goals in Europe. He recalled that European countries such as Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary and Serbia already receive gas from South Stream.