Behind Crimea Platform, Ukraine’s energy talks intensify

Ukraine’s hosting the Crimea Platform summit on Aug.
23 gave the country’s allies an opportunity to reaffirm their support for the return
of Crimea to Ukraine. At the same time, Ukraine’s government reported that
energy-related discussions were held with representatives of other countries on
the sidelines of the summit.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, who headed
the U.S. delegation to the summit, and German Economy and Energy Minister Peter
Altmaier, who headed the German delegation, spoke with Ukrainian Energy
Minister Herman Halushchenko regarding energy issues, and in particular the
Nord Stream II pipeline. The three spoke of Gazprom’s activity in light of the
EU Third Energy Package, and also about strengthening Ukraine’s energy
integration with Europe, president.gov.ua stated in a press release.

President Volodymyr Zelensky and President of Poland
Andrzej Duda also spoke about energy, the president’s website reported on Aug.
23. They discussed their common understanding of Nord Stream II as a threat and
the need to jointly diversify energy supplies.

The meetings come on the heels of German Chancellor
Angela Merkel’s Aug. 22 visit to Kyiv, in which she insisted that Russian use
of Nord Stream II as an economic weapon would be met with sanctions. On Aug.
22, Naftogaz and Germany’s RWE signed a memorandum of understanding regarding
the development of the green hydrogen industry in Ukraine.

James Hydzik: While the
focus of the summit was geopolitical, the importance of the sideline
discussions regarding energy should be kept in mind. Developing a consensus
politically and moving forward practically will help create a constructive
backdrop to Zelensky’s Aug. 31 meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden. Energy
issues will figure prominently in that meeting as well.

Furthermore, at a time when U.S. resolve toward its
allies is under question due to the Afghani tumult, an orderly and joint effort
in concert with Ukraine’s western neighbors will be useful for all concerned.