Foreign Affairs

unhappycamper

(60,364 posts) Wed Jun 18, 2014, 07:47 AM Jun 2014

Russian-Ukrainian 'gas war' different

http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/CEN-02-180614.html

Russian-Ukrainian 'gas war' different
By Claire Bigg
Jun 18, '14

Russia has halted gas supplies to Ukraine - a major escalation of a dispute in which Russia's state-owned gas giant Gazprom is demanding that Kiev settle its huge gas debt. But in many ways, what many have dubbed the third "gas war" between the two countries is different than previous disputes in 2006 and 2009. Here's why.

This gas row is a lot more political: The gas conflict is taking place against the backdrop of deadly fighting in eastern Ukraine between government troops and separatist insurgents widely believed to be supported by Moscow.

Relations between Moscow and Kiev are at rock bottom; there have been suggestions on both sides to sever diplomatic ties.

"It's about the existence of Ukraine, the nature of Ukraine, its integrity," says John Mitchell, an energy expert at the British think tank Chatham House. "These were not so much in question in the previous crises, which were more concerned with purely gas matters." More ...

3 replies

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Russian-Ukrainian 'gas war' different (Original Post) unhappycamper Jun 2014 OP

Russia-Ukraine Gas Row Nothing Like 2009 ‘Price War’ dipsydoodle Jun 2014 #1

service = payment Twenty1first Jun 2014 #2

I would add that Twenty1first Jun 2014 #3

dipsydoodle

(42,239 posts)

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

Reply to unhappycamper (Original post)

Wed Jun 18, 2014, 07:54 AM

Jun 2014

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.

>

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

In other aspects Ukraine is proving itself to be unreliable too :

EU ambassador notes misuse of EU funds on strengthening Ukraine's border

The Ukrainian authorities have ineffectively spent tens of millions of euros that were earlier allocated by the European Union to strengthen Ukraine's state border, EU Ambassador to Ukraine Jan Tombinski has said.

http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/eu-ambassador-notes-misuse-of-eu-funds-on-strengthening-ukraines-border-352241.html

Twenty1first

(32 posts)

2. service = payment

Reply to unhappycamper (Original post)

Wed Jun 18, 2014, 08:07 AM

Jun 2014

I see my friends here at DU critic of Russia's energy company decline service for non-payment.

if you don't pay your bill you have no service, period.

Twenty1first

(32 posts)

3. I would add that

Reply to Twenty1first (Reply #2)

Wed Jun 18, 2014, 08:12 AM

Jun 2014

when you garner service you are expected to pay for it, and that you are not a communist, or Ukrainian to default your obligation on a debt

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