Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych declared the will to decrease gas supplies from Russia, and in a meeting with Russian PM Dmitriy Medvedev Ukrainian PM Mykola Azarov did not solve the situation with Russia. Moscow desires to control Ukrainian GTS and integrate Kyiv in the Eurasian Union.
A gas war in the EU Eastern border is far from a concrete and soon solution. On Friday 11/23, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych told Interfax Ukraine news agency that Ukraine is going to cut Russian gas supplies, importing just 18 bcm of Russian national gas major Gazprom.
President Yanukovych position fosters the energetic crisis between Ukraine and Russia after Ukrainian Minister of Energy and Coal Yuri Boyko declared in July 2012 that Ukrainian energetic concern Naftohaz will import from Gazprom just 23 bcm of gas in 2012, and 20 bcm in 2013.
After President Yanukovych's position, Ukraine risks now to pay a sanction for importing less than 41 bcm of Russian gas per year, as the contract for gas supplies Kyiv signed with Gazprom fixes.
Ukraine's protest is due to high prices Gazprom imposes Naftohaz. In particular, Kyiv argues that Moscow applies more expensive tariffs to Ukraine than to German companies.
On Saturday 11/24 Ukrainian PM Mykola Azarov tried to solve the situation in a meeting in Moscow with Russian Head of Government Dmitriy Medvedev.
According to Voice of Russia radio, Medvedev sentenced Russia could give a discount just if Ukraine enters in the Eurasian Union: a economic integration project conceived by Moscow to impose Russia's political hegemony in former Soviet world.
Another Russia's goal is the direct control of Ukrainian Gas Transport System. During last days, Gazprom increased gas transit to the EU via Belarus, and realized the Nordstream pipeline to deliver Russian gas directly to Germany bypassing Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine.
Moreover, Russia planed the start of the Southstream: a pipeline conceived to bypass Ukraine carrying Russian gas directly to the EU via the Black Sea seabed and the Balkans.
Southstream has also been planed by Russia in order to block the EU gas supplies diversification policy supported by the European Commission to decrease Europe's dependence on Russian gas supplies - which cover the 40% of total EU energetic need.
The Orthodox Pipeline - as the Southstream has been renamed - conceived by Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, has been strongly criticized by the European Commission because it increases Europe's dependence on Russia's gas and endangers EU countries national security.
Ukraine tried to solve the decrease of gas supplies from Russia increasing the use of coal and oil to guarantee national industries to work.
Moreover, Naftohaz signed a trimestral agreement with German company RWE to import 1 mcm of Russian gas in Ukraine from Germany via Poland.
After a trouble with Warsaw, Kyiv decided to carry Russian gas from Germany via Hungary.
According to natural Gas Europe, Ukraine is going to negotiate with RWE a longer agreement in order to carry in Ukraine 20 bcd of gas per year via Slovakia.
Matteo Cazzulani
