KIEV, Sept. 18 - Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk has expressed hope that Western partners will not allow Ukraine to be stripped of the possibility to transit natural gas to the European Union.

"Nord Stream II is a classical anti-Ukrainian, anti-European project. If Russia, along with certain Western companies, builds Nord Stream II, this will mean that Russia had its way and stripped Ukraine entirely of natural gas transit services to EU member states," the prime minister said during parliamentary hearings on Friday.