German Chancellor Angela Merkel offered reassurances on Sunday that Ukraine would not suffer from the construction of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but Ukraine said talks about its future as a transit country had been vague. On her final visit to Kyiv before retiring as chancellor next month, Merkel said “gas should not be used as a geopolitical weapon” by Russia and that Germany could impose new sanctions on Moscow if necessary. “It is important that Ukraine remains a transit land,” she said after talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. She called for Ukraine’s existing transit deal with Russia to be extended beyond its 2024 expiry, adding that Germany would support Ukraine’s gradual transition to renewable energy. Germany has given […]