The Verkhovna Rada speeds up the modernisation of the Ukrainian gas transportation system which may allow to suspend the construction of the “South Stream.”
246 members of the Parliament voted on the inclusion of the according bill prepared by the Cabinet of Ministers into the daily agenda.
According to Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk, who reported on this bill in the Rada, Ukraine necessitates significant financial investments in its energy sphere. Continue reading
Journalists from Russia Today arrived at the site of a gas pipeline explosion in the Lokhvytsky district, in the Poltava Oblast in Ukraine, in record time, says the Chairman of Naftogaz Ukraine Andriy Kobolev.
He remarked on this astonishing journalistic timing on his Facebook page the day of the explosion, Tuesday, June 17, as reported by Espreso TV.
“It took the ‘journalists’ from Russia Today exactly 10 minutes to be on the site of the pipeline explosion, in an unremarkable area, deep in the Poltava Oblast. As they say, they drove around, stopped briefly, and lo and behold, there it was,” he writes. Continue reading
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk stated that the government intends to fight for a market price on Russian gas.
Prime Ministers Arseniy Yatseniuk claims that the “gas Bacchanalia” is part of Russia’s plan to destroy Ukrainian sovereignty. He stated this on Tuesday, June 17th, from the Parliamentary booth, reports the website of the government.
“This is part of the plan which prescribes a whole number of means to destroy Ukrainian independence and sovereignty. It began with the annex of Crimea, destabilisation of the situation in Donbas and Luhansk, financing terrorists, sending bandits to Donbas territory, transit of weapons, equipment… Now gas pressure is being put on Ukrainian consumers, an economical blockade… This is Russia’s plan,” said Yatseniuk.
To his mind, all of this is happening because Russia cannot grasp the fact that Ukraine is an independent state. He emphasised that it is not a coincidence that the gas conflict arose on the even of the signing of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU.
“But it is not up to Russia to decide where we are to go. And we are headed towards the European Union,” said Yatseniuk.
He also stated that the Ukrainian government offered the Russian side to establish a gas price consisting of two components: during the so-called “low season” – $300 per thousand cubic metres, during central heating season – $385. But Russia refused this offer.
“I will not go down without a fight. We will fight for the price which is on the market, honest and fair,” emphasised the Ukrainian Prime Minister.
Source: Gordonua
Translated by Mariya Shcherbinina
The Russian-Ukrainian talks regarding gas with the mediation of the EU Commission ended with what they should have ended with – Stockholm arbitrage and the demand to make advance payments for gas. And this is a logical consequences of the approach to politics and economics that Putin’s Kremlin preaches.
Continue reading
By Dmytro Tymchuk
Third Gas War: Prologue
On June 13, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk ordered Naftogaz Ukraine, relevant ministries, and regional state administrations to prepare for a complete suspension of Russian supplies of natural gas as of Monday, June 16. The PM also ordered the National Energy Regulatory Commission (NERC) to establish economically viable rates for the transit of Russian natural gas through Ukrainian territory.
In turn, Gazprom boss Alexei Miller announced that Ukraine would be moved to a system of advance payment for natural gas as of 10:00 a.m. on June 16: “No payment, no deliveries.” In addition, Miller emphasized that this extension was the final one and was made solely at the request of the European Commission, while Kyiv was resorting to “outright blackmail.”
Such is the current state of the latest round of trilateral negotiations among Ukraine, Russia and the EU. Essentially, there has been no progress. Continue reading
While the military conflict between Ukraine and Russia, who is acting on the territory of our country through its mercenaries, continues in the East of Ukraine, the leadership of the EU, and the leaders of European countries, prefer to pretend as if nothing extraordinary is happening.
Nobody mentions the virtual third package of sanctions in Europe, and if they do, it is with some unwillingness and laziness. Europe does not wish to intervene in the conflict with Russia, caring exclusively for its own economical and political benefits, as the implementation of the third sanction package against the Russian Federation may negatively influence the EU’s shaky economy, which, on its part, will increase unemployment and escalate the socio-economical situation. Continue reading
Brussels – The trilateral talks regarding the solution of the Russian-Ukrainian gas conflict, which is carried out with the involvement of the EU, have hit a dead end. Yet another round of talks in Brussels have ended without any results. The Russian offer of the $100 discount was refused by Kyiv. Meanwhile the EU Commission is counting on finding compromise regarding the loan payments and the gas prices for Ukraine before next Monday.
Continue reading
A temporary ceasefire and the calculation of the price until the end of 2015, at most, can become a compromise in the gas talks between Ukraine and Russia. This opinion was stated in an interview to Radio Svoboda by an expert in questions of fuel Yuriy Korolchuk. According to him, this price will be no lower than 370 USD per thousand cubic metres. Russian Gazprom is unlikely to agree to a change of contracts until 2019, when their term runs out.
Continue reading
By Vitalii Usenko, April 30, 2014
It appears that work on the South Stream pipeline project will continue, reports ITAR-TASS. On April 29, 2014, South Stream Transport BV signed a contract for the construction of the second line of the offshore section (including the Crimean Black Sea shelf, currently occupied by Russia) of the South Stream project with Swiss company Allseas Group. The contract also foresees deepwater laying of the pipeline, so an additional contract was signed with Saipem, an Italian oil and gas contractor, to ensure construction. On the same day, Gazprom signed a memorandum on the construction of an onshore section of the South Stream in Austria, according to Alexei Miller, CEO of Gazprom. Additional agreements to build the onshore sections of the pipeline,have been signed agreement with Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Greece, Slovenia, and Croatia. Continue reading
Euromaidan PR 