Kyiv Post: Klitschko: Ukrainian shale gas could resolve many political issues

Vitali Klitschko, the leader of the UDAR faction in Ukraine's parliament, hopes that shale gas production in Ukraine helps resolve many political issues. 

"There is a lot of discussion today about expanding domestic gas production with shale gas," Klitschko said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

"We hope that those contracts that have been signed will in future supply the lion's share of Ukrainian demand, which would resolve a lot of issues, political issues, and take cards out of the hand of our opponents, who use gas for its political, not economic, component," he said.

However, he said, shale gas production must meet environmental standards. "We need to be convinced that there will be no environmental damage. That is a principle issue."

The gas issue is no longer an economic issue, he said.  MORE