Forces Minister: 'Putin continues to prepare for an invasion'
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The Russian President has been pressing the West to approve the £8billion gas project agreed on in a deal he originally struck with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Nord Stream 2 (NS2) pipeline will transit gas from Russia to Germany, bypassing Ukraine and Poland on the route. Olexandr Scherba, Chief Advisor to the CEO of Ukraine gas giant Naftogaz, told Express.co.uk that this deal is already “tearing apart” the EU.
He said: “Just look at the havoc NS2 is already causing to the European and Transatlantic communities.
“Even without being certified, the pipeline is already tearing apart partners, laying the ground for Putin’s ultimate goal – a new world order.“
The term “new world order” refers to a new period of history evidencing a dramatic change in world political thought and the balance of power in international relations.
And this comes as Mr Putin looks set to ramp up the military aggression it is threatening Ukraine with as war fears soar.
But Russia’s intentions for Nord Stream 2, according to Mr Scherba, are set to be yet another form of aggression.
He said: “The pipeline is meant to eliminate Ukraine as a key player in the energy field to punish pro-European Ukraine with Europe’s hands.
“We don’t expect anything but aggression from Moscow. But conducting this aggression on Europe’s dime is a bit too much, isn’t it?”
This comes after Mr Putin has already shown that he is willing to limit Europe’s gas supplies travelling through Russia’s vast network of pipelines.
Kremlin-control gas giant Gazprom, which supplies up to 40 percent of Europe’s gas, has been diverting gas away from the West by reversing the flow of the Yamal-Europe pipeline.
The move sent EU prices soaring to record highs amid an already crippling energy crisis.
Critics of NS2, which is not yet operational, fear that Mr Putin’s control over European energy would only grow stronger.
US President Joe Biden’s administration has demanded that Germany scrap the pipeline if Russia launches an attack on Ukraine.
It claims that because Mr Putin is demanding that the pipeline should come online, the threat to scrap it could deter a Russian attack on Ukraine as part of a package of harsh sanctions.
But German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, while showing support for the US, has refused to state whether he would do so.
And seven EU states, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia have all voiced their opposition to the project.
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Mr Putin may be rubbing his hands together as this seems to be yet another issue dividing the West while he eyes up Ukraine.
Ukrainian International Advisor Ms Zalishchuk, also from Naftogaz, told Express.co.uk: “Simply put, Putin is trying to renegotiate a new global order while the collective West is negotiating the de-escalation in Ukraine.
“An operational Nord Stream 2 is a crucial element of this new world order in the Kremlin’s vision.“
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