Russia-Ukraine Gas Row Nothing Like 2009 ‘Price War’

WASHINGTON, June 18 (RIA Novosti), Lyudmila Chernova – The ongoing dispute on gas supplies between Moscow and Kiev is nothing like the 'price war' in 2009, when Gazprom cut off gas supplies to Ukraine, Andrew McKillop, a former chief policy analyst at the European Commission Directorate General for Energy, told RIA Novosti.

“This is nothing like the 2009 'price war' between Ukraine and Gazprom when several EU countries were badly hit after Gazprom cut off supplies in the middle of a very cold winter,” he said on Tuesday. “Kiev may have hoped to create a "gas crisis" for Europe, to help their bargaining position but they chose the wrong time of year!”

The decision to stop gas deliveries to Ukraine came days after failed negotiations with Kiev. This could have a powerful impact on both gas prices for future deliveries, and payment arrears on gas supplied to Ukraine over many years, dating as far back as the 1990's but especially since 2009.

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McKillop explained that the European Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger and EU political leaders knew that Ukraine's government had been stocking huge quantities of gas so that it could be in a better bargaining position with Gazprom and Russia.

http://en.ria.ru/world/20140618/190587717/OPINION-Russia-Ukraine-Gas-Row-Nothing-Like-2009-Price-War.html