Although EU is closely monitoring development of a new gas conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Europe may again turn into a hostage of Ukrainian “gas racket”. It is related to the growth of Ukraine’s debts for Russian gas deliveries (the total Ukrainian gas debt has reached over 1,5 billion dollars) and continued problems with unexecuted gas contracts between Russia and Ukraine.
To all seeming incoming Ukrainian premier, Y. Tymoshenko, has a great mind to distract attention of her country’s population from her next mishaps in line of premier’s duty. And there is no doubt that at any point so-called “Gas Princess” is able to forget fulfilling Ukraine’s transit obligations to European consumers and to engineer recurrent shutdown of European gas line.
Thus, I consider that convening the EU Coordinating Group on Gas will be well-judged action of our European Commission in response to existing difficulties in relations with Ukraine’s transit country. It is time for both EU and Russia to activate system of their monitors, which would be keeping a check on promptness of Russian energy deliveries for European countries on segment of Ukrainian gas line!