France shares Ukraine's concerns about Nord Stream 2 – minister

"As you rightly pointed out, the Nord Stream 2 project cannot be separated from the issue of Russian gas transit through Ukraine. We fully understand Ukraine's concerns in this regard. We are in favor of supporting Ukrainian transit in sufficient amount. France fully supported the conclusion of the Russian-Ukrainian transit agreement in December 2019, in which the EU became a mediator, and we are very committed to its implementation," the French minister said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

At the same time, Le Maire said that his country opposed foreign interference in the EU energy policy.

"France fundamentally opposes any foreign interference in the energy policy of the EU and its member states. We need to decide how to diversify our gas supplies and how to strengthen the EU's energy security," he said.

As reported, the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was suspended due to U.S. sanctions, but Russia resumed works with the consent of the German side. According to Nord Stream 2 AG, construction is 95% complete.

Ukraine considers this project to be purely geopolitical and a threat to European security, so it strongly opposes the completion of the gas pipeline. The United States, Poland, and the Baltic states also actively argue against the project.

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