Ukraine, Slovakia PMs blast Nord Stream capacity expansion

Visiting Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico on Thursday blasted the announced expanding of transport capacity of the Nord Stream gas pipeline as an "anti-Ukrainian" and "anti-European" project.

The two premiers were reacting to a preliminary agreement of Russian gas giant Gazprom and Western energy companies on doubling the transport capacity of Nord Stream.

"It isn't possible to talk on the political level about the need to stabilize Ukraine and at the same time adopt a decision that places not only Ukraine, but also Slovakia into an unenviable position, as this affects the transit of huge amounts of gas through both Ukraine and Slovakia," said Fico.

The Slovak prime minister added that the project may cost Ukraine billions and Slovakia hundreds millions of euros each year.

Fico rejected the notion that the deal between Gazprom and European energy companies is only a matter of business. He said these companies operating in EU countries have "betrayed" Slovakia as an EU member country because the deal is at odds with political agreements made at the European Council.

The first Nord Stream branch was introduced in November 2011 and the second one in 2012. The gas pipeline worth 7.4 billion euros (8.3 billion U.S. dollars) goes from Russia to Germany via the bed of the Baltic Sea. Endit