1,200 kilometers of the Soviet era pipeline connects the Russian city of Sudzha to the Ucranian city of Uzhhorod, on the Slovakian border
The United States want to construct a crucial pipeline in Ukraine, used to send Russian gas to Europe, according to news this weekend, in an action that is being described as a “colonial blow.” At stake is the pipeline that connects the city of Sudzha, western Russia, the Ucranian city of Uzhhorod, about 1,200 kilometers away, on the Slovakia border and the European Union (EU).
Built during the Soviet era, pipeline is a fundamental part of the Ukrainian national infrastructure and an important energy route for the country and the entire continent. The news appears in the aftermath of another meeting between US and Ukrainian authorities on Friday to discuss Donald Trump White House proposals for a critical mineral agreement.
The US President continues to demand that Kiev delivers his natural resources as “reimbursement” for the weapons that the previous administration of Joe Biden sold to the Ukrainians. But, as Reuters tells, the state’s latest statement is much more “maximalist” compared to the original demands made by the US administration in February, when Trump’s team required $ 500 billion in the exploration of rare metals, as well as oil and gas.
Negotiations between Washington and Kiev advance Reuters, have become increasingly acrimonious. Quoting a source close to the conversations, the agency states that the latest document presented by Americans includes a requirement for the international financial corporation for the development of the US government to control that natural gas transport pipeline.
On January 1, Ukraine cut the Russian gas supply to Europe when its five -year contract with Russian state company Gazprom expired. Both countries had already gained hundreds of millions of euros at traffic rates, namely during the first three years of the Ukraine large -scale Russian invasion.
In reaction to the news, Volodymyr Landa, senior economist at the Kiev -based Economic Strategy Center, which Americans want “everything they can have,” with intimidating “colonial -style” demands that, in their opinion, have little chance of being accepted by Kiev.
A few months ago, Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, proposed to give the US access to the underdeveloped mineral sector of the country, under an agreement that would lead Trump administration to ensure the supply of weapons to Kiev in exchange for investment profits in this sector to be made together.
The proposal was rejected by Trump, who maintained the requirement of access to minerals but rejecting any commitment to safety or military support in return. Last week, the US leader accused Zelensky of trying to “abandon the deal” never closed and said that the Ukrainian homologist will face “big problems” if he doesn’t sign him.
Asked by journalists, Zelensky said on Thursday on the eve of another negotiating round with the US, which is ready to sign an agreement to modernize the country but can only accept an agreement with “parity” between both sides and “half-in-half” recipes.
“I am limited to defending what belongs to Ukraine,” he said. “The agreement should be beneficial to both the US or Ukraine. It’s the right thing to do.”
