MOSCOW, July 13. /TASS/. The proposal by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to discuss the subject of the Nord Stream 2 project at a meeting of the leaders of the "Normandy Four" is puzzling, and it is apparent that Kiev is exploiting the Donbass conflict to pursue its own economic agenda. This opinion was expressed on Tuesday on his Telegram channel by head of the Russian State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs Leonid Slutsky.
"The first reaction that such a proposal can cause is bewilderment. It is absolutely unclear how Zelensky is planning to use the format created for the settlement of the internal Ukrainian conflict to discuss a purely economic project implemented by Russia with a number of European countries which do not include Ukraine," the lawmaker pointed out.
According to him, "the Ukrainian leadership, just as it did during Pyotr Poroshenko's presidency, continues to exploit the situation in the country’s south-east, begging for loans, preferences and guarantees." The lawmaker thinks that "Kiev is not taking any steps to settle the conflict," since "this is the last argument which allows them to justify all their failings." "The new ‘servants of the people’ continue to count on ‘cookies’ from the ‘anti-Russia’ project, they, essentially, do not care how people live in the DPR and LPR," the lawmaker added.
"However, Europe is growing weary of this. At a meeting with Zelensky, [German Chancellor] Angela Merkel reiterated that the Nord Stream 2 is not a replacement for the gas transit via Ukraine. At the same time, she again pointed out the necessity to apply the "Steinmeier formula" which involves holding elections in Donbass," the head of the Duma committee noted.
In his opinion, Zelensky’s proposal to involve the US in the Normandy format confirms "Ukraine’s dependency on an overlord and the external nature of governing the country." The Ukrainian president at a briefing following the meeting with Merkel stated that the issue of operating the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline should be discussed at the future meeting of the "Normandy Four" leaders (Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine) on settling the situation in Donbass. He also said that he wanted to involve the US in the Donbass peace process.