Russia and the European Union should guarantee sufficient gas transit through Ukrainian territory in view of their plans to build two pipelines to bypass the ex-Soviet country, Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovych has said.
The South Stream natural gas pipeline to the Balkans and the Russian-German Nord Stream pipeline are intended to cut Russia's dependence on transit nations, including Ukraine, which transits 80% of Russian gas to Europe.
Viktor Yanukovych, who is the leader of the opposition Party of Regions and a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections due on January 17, said on air of the Ukraina television channel late on Friday that Russia is likely to cut dramatically its gas transit through Ukraine after the pipelines are built.
"The gas transit system will be needless or will be needed to transit a minimum volume [of gas]," he said, adding "we should immediately start negotiations with Russia and the EU on the guarantees of long term gas transit."
He said Ukraine should demonstrate Russia and the EU that it is a reliable partner.
The 25 billion-euro ($36.5 billion) South Stream project is designed to annually pump 31 billion cubic meters of Central Asian and Russian gas to the Balkans and on to other European countries, bypassing Ukraine, which has frequent disputes with Russia over gas supplies and transits. The pipeline's capacity is expected to be eventually increased to 63 billion cubic meters.
The gas pipeline is expected to start operating in late 2015.
The Nord Stream pipeline, which will pump gas from Siberia to Europe under the Baltic Sea, bypassing East European transit countries, is being built jointly by Gazprom, Germany's E.ON Ruhrgas and BASF-Wintershall, and Dutch gas transportation firm Gasunie at an estimated cost of $12 billion. Construction is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2010.
KIEV, December 26 (RIA Novosti)
