Ukraine no longer has exclusive rights to Russian gas transit, Prime Minister Putin said today at the launch of the Nord Stream gas-pipeline.
“Ukraine is our old and traditional partner. As with any transit country, it has the temptation to benefit from its transit position. Now that this exclusive right is disappearing, our relations will become more civilized,” the prime minister told journalists.
Nord Stream, which bypasses Ukraine, is to start pumping 27.5 billion cubic meters of gas to Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, France, Denmark and other European states.
The pipeline has to be filled with technical gas before it starts functioning in the beginning of October, and the filling started today, RIA Novosti reported.