GEORGIA ON MY MIND...
Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 09:36AM And this is how it goes. Ukraine's gas company Naftogaz has said that Russia's Gazprom has just cut natural gas supplies to Europe by about two-thirds.
Naftogaz spokesman Valentyn Zemlyansky said Gazprom sent only 92 million cubic meters of gas for European consumers, less than a third of the usual supply. "That is all they are sending, in several hours Europe will feel it," Zemlyansky said. In retaliation Ukraine said it no longer recognised the transit contract between the two countries in a move which experts branded a 'worrying development." Although Gazprom promised to make up the EU shortfall by sending more gas via other routes, the decision increased concern in Brussels of energy shortages as winter bites. Poland, Germany and Hungry were all expected to be hit by the shortage.
The Eurocrats are worried and with good reason. Russia will ruthlessly use any leverage to advance its own interests and that means using energy supply as a weapon. It seeks to broaden its own miserable tyranny and knows that the EU will become much more compliant should it have to repeat what it did to Georgia if the prospect of a great freeze each bone-chilling winter awaits it.
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Reader Comments (8)
Russia supplies about 20% of the EU's gas. The long-term answer is the Nabucco pipeline which will get Caspian gas into central Europe without going through Russia or Ukraine. Then Gazprom can be told what it can do with its gas.
They need to get on with this project just as soon as ever possble.
But Britain's gas situation is a shocking indictment of the Thatcher government, and of British government in general. It was Mrs Thatcher's government which initiated and implemented the 'dash for gas' by which this premium fuel was burnt in power stations instead of coal. The result is that instead of having gas available for household consumption for decades to come, the UK is in the position of facing increasing dependence on Russia or anybody else for its future gas supplies. Dreadful, just dreadful.
Allan
Agreed. Also, given the years of faffing around on replacing the old nuclear power stations, there is now a real prospect of power cuts in the next 10 years.
David
- Ukraine owes Russia $500 million from the old contract
- Russia recently offered Ukraine a price for gas that is 50% of what Germany pays, and Ukraine said no
- Ukraine has been siphoning gas from the transit pipeline to Euroope , claims Russia, and I think the EU agrees that this is so
Russia is not entirely in the wrong here and Ukraine is not entirely in the right.
Western Europe are innocent bystanders. But yes, having alternative pipelines are the way to go. They'll help Europe, will hurt Russia somewhat, but they'll really kill Ukraine, who won't be able to play games anymore.
I think we all agree that alternatives are required lest we fall victim to Russian and other former Soviet state games of brinkmanship.
I trust that the Ukraines recent behaviour put paid to any chance of NATO or EU membership . However in a recent comment I predicted how Ukraine would act , seems that I was not wrong .
Look at Georgia has no problems with gas supply.
Georgia already recieves gas from caspian and georgia sits on that nabucco pipeline which eu seeks so much.
Georgia most clever in eu.and independent
EU must learn lesson
funny is EU wouldn't let ukraine into Nato family
so ukrains answer freeze now corupt minded eu leaders
look putin got ya all fools.
and you wouldn't let ukrain and Georgia into NATO family. trough ukraine passes russian gas pipeline and trough georgia passes all caspian gas pipelines.
it was in EU interest to let georgia and ukraine into eu family.