Russia Threatens Global Energy Security, Says Ukraine’s PM
The Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that Kiev and Brussels think that Russia aims to threaten global energy security.
“We know about the plans of Russia in winter to halt transit of gas, even to the European Union member states. And that's why their [Russian - ed.] companies were instructed to maximally pump up gas into storages on the territory of Europe,” Yatsenyuk said a day after the meeting in Minsk, Belarus.
Ukraine’s PM added that the country is taking steps to minimise the effect of Moscow’s decisions.
“We are well aware about the plans of Russia, whose goal is to actually disconnect Ukraine from all energy resources.”
According to data provided by Ukrtransgas and confirmed by Yatsenyuk, the country has injected 15.6 billion cubic meters of gas into underground gas storage facilities, which is 47% more that the amount stored in August 2013.
In this context, Kiev turned the spotlight on Moscow, confirming its intention to get closer to Brussels.
“The European Union and Ukraine have a common position - Russia's actions threaten both global military security and global energy security.”
RUSSIA: UKRAINE REMAINS PART OF THE CIS ECONOMIC SPACE
During the meeting in Minsk, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow “always respected the sovereign choice” of any nation, while also suggesting that Ukraine remains de facto part of the CIS economic space.
“Ukraine is deeply integrated into the CIS economic space. Alongside Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, it is actually an inseparable part of the largest economic complex in the world, which took ages, rather than years or decades, to create – and this is no exaggeration,” Putin said, as reported by a note published after the meeting.
Putin questioned the compatibility of the free trade agreements signed under the CIS umbrella with the intensification of Ukrainian ties with Europe.
“The question arises of whether this would be possible if the Ukraine’s association agreement with the EU really starts to work. Russia has stated on numerous occasions that full acceptance by our Ukrainian friends of all the tariff liberalisation requirements and the adoption of the European Union technical, sanitary and veterinary norms will have a negative impact on the scope and dynamics of trade and investment cooperation in Eurasia.”
Putin also presented figures about the economic loss for Ukrainian economy.
“The rejection of common CIS technical norms and adaptation to EU standards will cost Ukraine billions of euros… We understand our European partners; they have already developed the Ukrainian market rather well, and would like to get hold of whatever is left and squeeze out everyone else.”
On the other hand, Russian President had also conciliatory words, saying he hopes that the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union integration processes could at some point take a similar direction.
“I hope that all the participants in today’s meeting support the strategic goal of creating a common economic space from Lisbon to Vladivostok.”
EUROPE REMAINS CONCERNED
“Our main concern, no doubt, is gas. We have on-going bilateral and trilateral contacts and talks and negotiations between the Russian Federation and Gazprom on one hand and Ukraine and Naftogaz and our European Commission. Today we agreed to continue to have formal trilateral contacts, and on Friday we will be in Moscow to prepare for the next trilateral consultation between the Russian Federation/Gazprom and Ukraine/Naftogaz with the EU as a moderator of important process,” Gunther Oettinger said during the conference.
According to a statement published on Tuesday evening, European authorities are pushing for an interim solutions, waiting for the results of the arbitrations in Stockholm. From Oettinger’s speech, it emerged that Brussels hopes for trilateral negotiations.
“I'm sure today we have got some common input for our next trilateral. And gas can maybe be a door-opener for the whole high-level political process for the next weeks and months.