KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s leader has voiced concern that the U.S. could strike a deal with Russia behind his country’s back and rebuked France and Germany for a perceived softening of their stance in talks with Moscow. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also warned Washington on Thursday that the failure to block the construction of a Russian-built natural gas pipeline to Germany would be a grave political error. Zelenskyy’s comments reflect Ukrainian fears that the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline bypassing its territory would deprive it of transit fees for pumping the Russian gas to Europe and undermine its strategic importance.
