REUTERS
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says that Ukraine has been and remains part of the European Energy's common energy policy, and only by joining hands, Europe will be able to counter Russia's policy of gas monopoly.
"It's very important for the EU to pursue a common energy policy. And Ukraine will become an integral part of the common energy policy," Yatsenyuk said at an international conference in Riga, Latvia, according to the Ukrainian government's press service.
"The EU seems to have lost much time on forming a realistic common energy policy. You've lost billions. As always, Russia has been playing games. Russia's Gazprom sets prices for different countries, using different formulas," he said.
In his words, a strong energy policy will deprive anyone of the right to "play games." That is why Europe should seriously consider proposals as for liquefied natural gas shipments from the United States to the European Union. "This will create additional competition on the market and will of course have a positive impact on prices," he said.
Russia is now implementing its Nord Stream 2 project aimed at bypassing Ukraine and depriving the country of $2 billion in income per year. At the same time, other transit countries, namely Slovakia and Poland, will most likely lose $800 million and $300 million in possible revenue, respectively.
"This gas project will let the creation of a 'gas tap' in Europe, which will be managed by Gazprom and some Western countries to control prices in the EU," Yatsenyuk said. "And this project has nothing to do with the European Union's energy independence and its energy policy. Nord Stream 2 is an anti-European and anti-Ukrainian project."
Yatsenyuk claims that Ukraine operates the largest gas transport system in Europe with the biggest underground storage facilities. Ukraine's gas transport system is the "fastest and cheapest way," he added.