KYIV, Dec 1 - Ukraine might face significant difficulties in importing gas from the European Union in 2022 due to a reduction in capacity and diversification of routes, ex-head of Naftogaz Ukrainy Andriy Kobolev believes.

"If sanctions or some kind of international diplomacy are not applied, they (Russia) will try to launch Nord Stream 2 in 2022. This will mean restarting gas flows in Europe, and this will further complicate our ability to import gas from the EU, which will potentially put us back in a situation of dependence on gas supplies from Russia," he said during the Kyiv Security Forum.