"I have to admit [...] that Nord Stream 2 is not an exclusively economic project, because when you have companies from 12 European Union member countries participating in it, then, of course, it has a political effect, and this is the issue, which causes headache to many in the European Union," Roth said in an interview with the Deutschlandfunk radio station.
When it was pointed out that his words ran contra to the earlier statements by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz regarding the certification of the pipeline's operator being unaffected by politics, Roth replied that he interpreted the chancellor's words differently. According to the lawmaker, Scholz was speaking about the certification by the Federal Network Agency, which is an apolitical process. He then added that Germany was defending Ukraine's energy security interests and "when gas will go through the pipeline to Germany and Europe, it should not lead to Ukraine becoming an affected country."
Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Gazprom, Royal Dutch Shell, OMV, Engie, Uniper, and Wintershall. The pipeline is designed to carry natural gas from Russia to Germany beneath the Baltic Sea. On September 10, Gazprom announced the completion of the pipeline's construction.
Kiev has been a consistent opponent of the project over concerns that it will allow Russia to deliver its gas directly to Europe, bypassing Ukraine. Moscow has stressed multiple times that the agreement on gas transit to Europe through its neighbor will remain in effect until the end date, and even after its completion, Russia does not plan to abandon Ukrainian transit.