OREANDA-NEWS. The loss of Ukraine's "favorite" status in the United States was the main reason for the failure of Kiev's struggle with the Nord Stream 2 project. This opinion was expressed in an article for "Ukrainska Pravda" by the former head of the board of the company "Naftogaz" Andriy Kobolev.

According to him, it was this status of Ukraine in the eyes of Biden, who at that time was the vice-president of the United States, that allowed Kiev to receive unprecedented assistance. "So what happened now? The answer is obvious - we have lost our special status in the White House. And not only from the current US president himself, but also among his inner circle," said the ex-head of Naftogaz.

“All this gave us a special status. We were a history of victory“  in spite of everything. ”All politicians, regardless of time and geography, want to be associated with victories, not defeats. American politicians are no exception,” he said.

To minimize the influence of Nord Stream 2 on Ukraine, its leadership needs to restore a "special" status in the White House, this is the main task of President Volodymyr Zelensky, the ex-head of Naftogaz believes.

"Of course, now in the Western world we are not expected with open arms. Because we are a problem and a threat of potential defeat. There are enough of our own problems there without us. But new, bright and quick victories are needed," he said.

At the same time, Kobolev advised the country's leadership not to look for options in the format "we - you, you - us", since in this case Kiev has nothing to offer. “Losing the fight for sanctions against Nord Stream AG is another eloquent example of our weakness in the transactional fight. Therefore, only reforms remain. They will provide us with the opportunity to become a partner with a special status for the United States again,” he concluded.