The construction of the second phase of the Nord Stream gas pipeline would deprive Ukraine of the opportunity to pump 140 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas to the European Union and to make $2 billion on this annually, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said at a joint press conference with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in Bratislava on Thursday.

"What does the Nord Stream II construction mean for Ukraine? First, it absolutely excludes Ukraine from transit supplies to the European Union. Second, it's the loss of $2 billion in revenues that we get for the transit and safe shipment of gas to the European Union. And third, it's simply unjust both to our European partners and to Ukraine," he said.

The Nord Stream II construction would monopolize the routes of gas transportation to the European Union and would increase the price for the end users, he said.

If Nord Stream II is built, the European Union will lose the opportunity to receive Russian gas directly along the shortest route across Ukraine, Yatseniuk said. This project would also deprive Slovakia of $800-million revenues from gas transportation, he said.

After the first phase of the Nord Stream gas pipeline was built, Ukraine has lost $1.5 billion in revenues from gas transportation, Yatseniuk said. "And this hasn't brought about any energy independence for the European Union: What's the difference where you get gas as long as you have the same supplier?" he said.

It was reported earlier that the Nord Stream II consortium comprises six participants, i.e. Gazprom, E.ON, BASF/Wintershall, OMV, Engie, and Shell. Nord Stream II will add two lines, whose combined capacity should reach 55 billion cubic meters, to the existing pipeline that transports gas along the Baltic Sea floor from Russia to Germany.