Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Marek Kuchcinski and the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States signed a declaration in response to a joint German-US agreement. It stipulates, among other things, that the U.S. will suspend the imposition of sanctions in connection with the construction of Nord Stream 2, while Germany will invest in Ukrainian projects and commit to sanctions in case of hostile actions by Russia.

Committee on Foreign Affairs on Nord Stream 2

We, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committees of our Parliaments, are deeply concerned about the decision of the United States and Germany on Nord Stream 2, which entails the resumption of work to complete the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

We consider Nord Stream 2 to be a geopolitical project aimed at strengthening Russia's geostrategic influence in Europe by dominating the energy market. Completion of the pipeline will increase the share of Russian gas in the European energy mix, compromise the security of the EU and the US, and threaten the already fragile security and sovereignty of Ukraine. Moreover, the completion of NS2 will give Russia another tool to pressure and blackmail Ukraine. It constantly faces brutal Russian aggression and military occupation of its territories because of its pro-European ambitions. As a result, 14,000 Ukrainians have died and every week more Ukrainian soldiers give their lives in defense of their homeland and all of Europe.

Likely repercussions of the completion and operation of NS2 also include undermining the development of a single, liberal and open European market by consolidating NS2 sourcing and discouraging investment in alternatives.

We hear assurances that Ukraine will be compensated in some way for agreeing to the launch of Nord Stream 2. However, the parties involved in the project must significantly increase their support for Ukraine to prevent a deepening of the current security crisis, exacerbated by the threats posed by Nord Stream 2. Therefore, we urge all involved to address this security crisis in the region with the utmost seriousness and to understand that Russia is the only beneficiary of this project.

Euro-Atlantic security and prosperity are sustained by, above all, democracy and cooperation among democratic countries. We must commit to increasing support for Ukraine's security and defense capabilities, and to creating a clear plan for Ukraine's NATO membership. We urge you to create legal commitments to Ukraine on behalf of NATO and, by the end of this year, to develop a legally binding NATO membership plan for Ukraine. To consolidate the transformation efforts of the Ukrainian government, as well as democracy and human rights in the region, we call for agreement on the prospect of Ukraine's membership in the European Union, as well as other associated countries in the region, and for free and fair elections in Belarus this year.

We reiterate our opposition to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which is a means for Russia to exert bad influence and conduct activities aimed at harming European energy security. We expect a clear commitment from Germany to reduce its dependence on gas imported from Russia and to develop towards green energy. We believe that Germany will approach its responsibility for these goals with the utmost dedication. In the changing security environment in the region, we urge NATO to intensify deterrence, especially in the Baltic states.

We insist that any further agreement on Nord Stream 2 requires consultation across the transatlantic family. Moreover, such diplomacy should happen with a basic principle in mind - fighting Russian aggression is in the interests of all NATO and EU members, as well as our partners in Central and Eastern Europe.