Ukraine Works for Strong Anti-Russian Position at Coming European Council

Presidents of Ukraine and Poland met on Tuesday, saying that the front of European countries opposing the Nord Stream II project could lead to a common European position during the Council on Thursday and Friday. 

“We [Ukraine and Poland] coordinate actions with Slovakia, the Baltic and Scandinavian states, Italy and other EU countries. We assure that this project has no economic sense. It is clearly a political project. We consider giving an opportunity for political pressure on the EU countries and Ukraine inadmissible,” Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko said after the meeting with Poland’s Andrzej Duda.

Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi did indeed join the group of countries opposing the Nord Stream II project. Renzi wants the issue to be added to the agenda of the EU summit, which will take place in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.

SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIA 

If Italy is siding with Ukraine and Poland on the Nord Stream II project, Rome has a different position on punitive measures against Russia.

Last week, Renzi blocked a planned extension of the EU’s economic sanctions against the country led by Vladimir Putin. As a result, the relation between the EU and Moscow will be discussed by European leaders this week. 

On the other hand, Poland and Ukraine calls for an extension of the measures, arguing that Moscow is not complying with the Minsk agreements. 

“I am really hopeful that the given decision would be adopted at the coming session of the European Council. I was pleased to hear the firm position of Poland on this issue,” Poroshenko said in a statement, referring to Duda's commitment to prolong sanctions against Russia. 

UKRAINE COULD BUY UP TO 8 BCM FROM POLAND

Also on Tuesday, Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that, after the launch of an interconnector between the two countries,  Ukraine would be able to buy from Poland up to 8 billion cubic meters of gas:

"Hence, together we will have high profitability and high energy independence" he said.

Sergio Matalucci is an Associate Partner at Natural Gas Europe. He holds a BSc and MSc in Economics and Econometrics from Bocconi University, and a MA in Journalism from Aarhus University and City University London. He worked as a journalist in Italy, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Belgium. Follow him on Twitter: @SergioMatalucci