Volodymyr Zelensky made the comments next to Poland’s President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw where he was due to attend Sunday ceremonies marking 80 years since the outbreak of World War II.
“We hold the same position as Poland, Nord Stream 2 is unacceptable and it threatens Europe as a whole,” Zelensky told reporters.
“We want the diversification of sources of energy delivery within the US-Poland and Ukraine triangle,” he added.
Zelensky’s remarks came after Poland’s PGNiG state-run gas firm announced Thursday it was selling Ukraine’s ERU energy group a shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States.
An EU and NATO member, Poland has sought to wean itself off Russian gas, notably by building an LNG terminal on its Baltic coast capable of receiving LNG shipments from the US and the Middle East.
Also heavily reliant on Russian natural gas, Ukraine is seeking new suppliers to guarantee its energy security in the wake of Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea and backing of armed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The controversial €11-billion (US$12-billion) Nord Stream 2 energy link between Russia and Germany is to run under the Baltic Sea and is set to double Russian gas shipments to Germany, the EU’s biggest economy.
Kiev, Warsaw and Washington oppose the pipeline, fearing it will increase Europe’s reliance on Russian energy supplies which Moscow could then use to exert political pressure.
Speaking alongside Zelensky, President Duda said Poland wants neighbour “Ukraine to be closer to the European Union, to be closer to NATO” and reaffirmed calls for the return of Crimea.
Poland, which believes its security depends on Ukraine remaining outside of Russia’s sphere of influence, has long been a vocal advocate of closer ties between Kiev and the West.
Duda hailed Zelensky, a 41-year-old comedian who scored a surprise victory in April elections, as a “president with an open mind and who wants his country to be part of the free world, the democratic world”.
Duda also expressed optimism about overcoming thorny historical issues that have chilled bilateral ties.
Warsaw and Kiev held separate ceremonies last year marking 75 years since a WWII-era ethnic conflict between their nations claimed thousands of lives.
Zelensky said he and Duda “spoke very honestly about many existing problems”, adding there were “no matters that we can’t resolve with dialogue and understanding.”
“We are very much aware that tensions between Ukraine and Poland can be a wonderful present for our enemies,” Zelensky said, adding he and Duda had convened a working group aimed at ironing out differences.