Russia and Ukraine to face a new gas war

A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian Head of State Viktor Yanukovych cancelled due to Kyiv's opposition to Custom Union and Moscow's imperialistic energy policy. Also Moldova to be involved in Kremlin's gas strategy

A international top meeting’s cancellation reveals a deep crisis in Russian-Ukraine relationship. On Tuesday 12/18 Russian President Vladimir Putin cancelled an official meeting with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

According to Dzerkalo Tyzhnya, the two Heads of State did not agree on Ukraine's integration in Russia's Custom Union: a political integration's project which has been planed by Moscow to ensure Kremlin's hegemony on former Soviet world.

Russia proposed Ukraine the Custom Union's membership in exchange of the renewal of energy relationship between Moscow and Kyiv.

Ukraine supported a lower integration in the Custom Union, in order to maintain a integration's perspective in the EU.

In addition to political matters, Yanukovych-Putin meeting's cancellation is also due to gas. Russia aims to  recognize Ukraine a gas supplies discount just if Kyiv should double the quantity of imported Russian gas.

Ukraine, after Russia did not agree on Kyiv's gas supplies’ discount, decreased Russian gas’ import to 27 bcm.

At the same time, the Ukrainian government increased the use of coal and oil, and signed a three month contract with German company RWE, in order to import to Ukraine 57 mcm of Russian gas from Germany via Poland and Hungary.

Yanukovych-Putin meeting's cancellation proves that political and energy relationship between Russia and Ukraine are in a deep crisis.

One the one hand, Yanukovych's indecision between Russia and EU increased Ukraine's international isolation, which started as Ukrainian President organized political processes and arrests of several Democratic Opposition's politicians - as the 2004 Orange Revolution's Leader Yulia Tymoshenko.

On the other hand, Russia does no more need Ukraine in providing Moscow's energy policy after last 12/7 Southstream realization's start.

Southstream is a pipeline planed to deliver 63 bcm of Russian gas from Russia to Austria via the Black Sea seabed, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia and Italy.

Southstream is a Russia's political project to bypass Ukraine - which is now the main transit state of Russian gas to the EU - increase EU gas dependence on Russia - Russian gas supplies cover the 40% of EU total need - and block the gas supplies diversification's project, which has been planed by the European Commission to carry Azerbaijani gas directly to Europe.

Russia's energy policy marked a point not only in Ukraine, but also in Moldova.

According to Interfax news agency, Russia and Moldova renewed gas supplies' contract for a year, and let so a geopolitical deal unsolved.

In exchange of a discount on gas supplies, Russia invited Moldova to quit the European Energy Community - whose members are the 27 EU countries, Moldova and Ukraine.

The European Commission decided to suspend for three years Moldova's membership in the EEC, in order to help Chisinau to solve the contractual dispute with Moscow.

Moldova politically supported the European Commission's plan to carry Azerbaijani's directly to the EU, in order to decrease the dependence on Russia's gas supplies.

Moreover, Chisinau endorsed AGRI project to carry Azerbaijan's LNG to Moldova via Georgia, the Black Sea and Romania.

Matteo Cazzulani