Unfortunately, despite resistance in Ukraine and around the world, the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline is on the final stages of construction. If it is completed and put into operation, Ukraine will face serious challenges. Currently, there are some forecasts for the economic and security consequences of NS2 for Ukraine and Europe in common, but there is a lack of systematic assessment and calculation of possible scenarios. Ukraine also does not have a clear plan to follow if negative forecasts come true.
Question for discussion:
- Is it still possible to avert trouble?
- Will Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine take place when Putin receives a pipe bypassing Ukraine?
- What will be the direct and indirect consequences of the loss of transit for the Ukrainian economy?
- Lifting sanctions in exchange for Euro-Atlantic solidarity? Values vs. business as usual?
- Can Ukraine demand something from Western partners in exchange for the loss of transit?
«Euro-Atlantic Course», a non-governmental organization whose supervisory board includes well-known Ukrainian and world internationals, politicians, financiers and analysts, is initiating a public discussion to try to answer these and other questions.
For reference: «Euro-Atlantic Course» NGO (http://eac.org.ua/) is a non-political, non-governmental non-governmental organization that aims to inform, stimulate, test and develop ideas, transform existing policies and practices to accelerate processes and strengthen support for Ukraine on its Euro-Atlantic path. The supervisory board of the Euro-Atlantic Course includes:
Matthew Bryza – Ambassador, Senior Research Fellow – Non-resident of the Atlantic Council Center for Global Energy, Eurasia and Turkey, Member of the Board of the Jamestown Foundation in Washington.
Natalia Yaresko – Minister of Finance of Ukraine (2014 – 2016), later – Executive Director of the Board of Financial Supervision and Management of Puerto Rico.
Andrews Kubilius – Member of the European Parliament (AFET, ITRE) Co-President of the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly, Head of the Lithuanian EPP Delegation, former Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania.
Alexander Vershbow, Ambassador, Honorary Fellow of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center on Strategy and Security and Eurasia Center in Washington, DC, Honorary Fellow of the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House; NATO Deputy Secretary General (2012 – 2016)
Vitaliy Portnikov – publicist, TV presenter and writer.
Katarina Volchuk – Professor of Eastern European Policy at the Center for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies (CREES), University of Birmingham; senior researcher at Chatham House (program dedicated to Russia and Eurasia).
Registration of media representatives is carried out on the spot.