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Gas issues cannot be solved with Ukraine’s leadership divided – Putin
Published: 22 May, 2009, 17:42
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshchenko (L) in Astana on May 22, 2009 during a Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit (AFP Photo / RIA Novosti / Pool / Alexey Nikolsky)
(7.8Mb) embed videoTAGS: Putin, Russia, Ukraine, Politics, Europe, Gas
The disagreement between Ukraine’s President and Prime Minister hinders Kiev’s ability to negotiate disputed points in energy cooperation, says Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
Putin was speaking after a meeting with Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Timoshenko in the Kazakh capital Astana, where both take part in a summit of heads of governments of the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
The two officials were discussing settlement of the problem of Ukraine’s underground gas reservoirs, which are to be filled with natural gas bought from Russia. Moscow is concerned that Ukraine may not be able to cover the bill in full, as it has already started to decrease gas imports.
But delaying pumping it into the reservoirs is risky, because it may end in having no reserves when they are needed, namely when gas consumption rises in the winter. This may even affect Ukraine’s transit services and hurt delivery of Russian gas to Europe.
Russia’s suggested solution is to pay fees due to Ukraine for the transit of gas to Europe over the next 5 years, Putin announced. The money will be used for buying Russian gas for Ukraine itself. The estimated cost of the gas needed is $4.7 to $4.8 billion.
“It’s a great risk for Russia. I refer to the upcoming presidential election in Ukraine and everything dealing with the modernization of the gas pipeline system,” Putin pointed out.
The scheme itself is not news, since Timoshenko announced it after her visit to Moscow in April. However, before Russia did not specify how much of the transit fee it is willing to pay Ukraine in advance.
One strong opponent of the proposal is Ukraine’s President Victor Yushchenko, who believes Russia is trying to use the situation to have a hand in the assets of the Ukrainian gas monopoly Naftogaz, namely the gas pipelines.
Commenting on his position, the Russian prime minister said: “We doubt that we can talk things over in this environment. We need a common position from Ukraine’s leadership. And even that does not mean we’ll be able to resolve all issues.”
Putin said Russia can take part of the burden of helping Ukraine out, but only part of it, and called on the European Union to act too.
“It’s still our common problem, because ensuring a normal supply of gas for Ukrainian domestic consumers is an important condition for ensuring gas supply to European consumers,” he pointed out, recalling the experience of the gas row in January 2009.
The row started with Ukraine’s failure to pay for Russian gas, and resulted in the interruption of deliveries to European gas consumers for two weeks. Earlier, in January 2006 in a similar dispute, gas supplies were cut for four days.
Putin’s words mirror a similar statement of President Medvedev, who told European leaders on Friday at the Russia-EU summit in Khabarovsk, that he doubted Ukraine’s ability to pay its gas debt.
“Partners in such situations help their partners, and we are prepared to help Ukraine, but we would like to see the European Union, the countries interested in the stability and security of energy cooperation, to take part in the effort too.”
Earlier on Thursday, news came from Russia’s Finance Ministry that Deputy Minister Dmitry Pankin said Russia was inclined to refuse a $5 billion credit, which Ukraine asked for in February 2009. He said however, that the decision was not final yet.
22.05.2009, 17:26
1 comment
“Crisis will be on horizon until we have more trust in each other”Ukraine broke the Energy Charter in the winter, and no one protested in Brussels, recalled Dmitry Babich, a political analyst at RIA Novosti. If Russia did the same, “there would be a huge scandal in the EU,” he said. |
22.05.2009, 20:30
“Trust in Russia and Ukraine is distorted” – EU CommissionerWatch RT’s exclusive interview with the EU Commissioner for external relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner. She shared her impressions of the Russia EU summit, its main objectives and the difficulties linked with them. |
This morning, I have readen an article on CNN telling that Russia use Gas as a blackmail for hegemonial goals. What does America with Exon-Mobil and what will it be, if the USA had as much natural ressources' reserves as does Russia ? Europeans medias and politicians prostitutes to NATO and America claim that Russia need Europe, as much as Europe need Russia. This is completely false. Russia could perfectly well, sell its gas, oil and other natural ressources to China, India, Japan and a few sincere european nations (Greece, Italy, Germany) and buy whatever she need from them. Your leaders should stop letting the western politicians and businessmen calling the shots and argument on real facts. This will be doing a immense service to the great majority of the West's decent peoples who will certainly start thinking and no more fall for the marketing and communication's tricks of their decisions-makers. Sadly, we must admit that we vote and put those creeps in office. As I wrote many times before we need good examples; not poor imitations of what we have known for the past 70 years. Sorry Future Generations ! Sincerely. Jean-Claude Meslin
@Meslin Hear Hear… Russia is bending over backwards to help a country that seems intent on slitting its wrists. These cretins on CNN are the ones pulling Ukraine’s strings, they are the current hegemony, and they are the foreign power destroying a country through a puppet president. I don’t see these CNN vampires willing to pay out in perpetuity, for a service they may never receive, just so Ukrainians don’t freeze to death, do you? This is more than just a business problem… this is the total failure of democracy. So much for the EU, the IMF and all these other phony organizations… the only thing that seems clear, is that if you let them near your country, people die and it goes to hell. The real danger for Ukraine now is that Russia just gives up, plants a gravestone at the border with, “we tried” on it. I think the only reason that hasn’t happened is that there are strong human bonds, because from hard business perspective, it’s a write-off. The upcoming election is very likely Ukraine’s last chance to get rid of these vampires that are sucking them dry. I personally can’t stand how these psycho CNN bankers entrench snake oil presidents that hurt a country’s innocent people forever. What Ukrainian people have to realize is that if Putin helps Ukraine… the people will probably never see the money. Ukraine has to get rid of the enemy within. My respect for Putin and Medvedev grows daily… they about to risk a huge amount of capital on the possibility of a better future, for another people. What Ukraine really needs to get, is that they wont be able to do it twice. Last Chance!