Russia has been using gas as a weapon against the EU for several months, artificially restricting gas supplies to the EU. And there is still no clear reaction from the EU, Germany, and the United States, say Maksym Khyłko, Russian and Belarusian Studies Program Director at the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism”, emphasizing that this is another proof that no guarantees will stop Russia from using the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as a tool of pressure and aggression against Ukraine if this project is launched.
Maksym Khylko, Russian and Belarusian Studies Program Director at the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism”, Ph.D., emphasized that the launch of Nord Stream 2 would mean the closing of gas transit through Ukraine under any pretext, as soon as Russia had such an opportunity.
He stressed that the need for transit was an important factor in preventing full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine. – Moscow will be able to suspend gas transit through Ukraine at any time after the launch of Nord Stream 2, including under the guise of sabotaging the gas pipeline. The political guarantees of the United States and Germany will not work. Russia has been using gas as a weapon against the EU for several months, artificially restricting gas supplies to the EU. And there is still no clear reaction from the EU, Germany, and the United States, he added.
The analyst also noted the recent announcement to deploy S-400 complexes on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. “The Russian S-400s together with the Su-30SM fighters stationed in Baranavichy will pose a powerful military threat to Ukraine, especially Kiev”, he stressed. He added that Russian planes can reach the Ukrainian capital within 20 minutes.
As he emphasized, also Russia’s announcement that it does not agree to the OSCE mission at border points in Donetsk and Gukovo, shows that Moscow wants to be able to quickly redeploy troops to the occupied areas of Ukraine in the Donbas.