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Russia Restores Gas, European Press Slams "Bullying"
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Medvedev accused Kiev of "stealing" Russian gas transiting to western Europe. (Reuters)
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MOSCOW,
January 3, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Russia
restored gas supplies to European countries on Tuesday, January 3,
after key markets felt the squeeze from a price war with Ukraine, as
European newspapers slammed a "bullying" Moscow and urged a
review of energy dependence on Moscow.
"We
have taken all necessary measures to supply Europe with gas according
to contracts," Alexander Medvedev, deputy chairman of the
state-controlled energy giant Gazprom, was quoted as saying by Agence
France-Presse (AFP).
He
accused Kiev of "stealing" Russian gas transiting through
Ukraine to western Europe after Moscow cut supplies to Kiev.
The
biggest importer of gas in Germany, EON Ruhrgas, said on Tuesday that
Russian gas imports had returned to normal after a disruption linked
to the dispute between Moscow and Kiev.
After
European importers noted drops in their supplies, Gazprom said it was
raising exports by 95 million cubic meters (3.3 billion cubic feet) a
day to make up the shortfall.
Austria,
Croatia, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovakia all
reported shortages in Russian gas imports of up to 40 percent.
Germany,
Europe's biggest gas importer, also noted disruptions, although
Economy Minister Michael Glos said there was no immediate cause of
concern for the 17 million German households that use gas heating.
Europe
imports a fifth of its natural gas from Russia via Ukraine.
A
row erupted when Gazprom, which controls a third of all global natural
gas reserves, demanded an immediate rise in Soviet-era gas tariffs to
Ukraine.
It
wants to raise the price to Ukraine from 50 to 230 dollars (195 euros)
per 1,000 cubic meters (35,316 cubic feet), bringing it closer into
line with market prices.
Supplies
were cut Sunday, January 1, after Kiev rejected the price hike.
“Gas
War”
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A Gazprom operator standing at the control board of the pumping station. (Reuters)
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The
war of words between the two neighbors continued Tuesday, with a
member of Russia's upper house of parliament, Yury Sharandin, telling
Russia's NTV television -- which is owned by Gazprom -- that
"it's not Russia but Europe that is losing money".
Ukraine's
state energy firm Naftogaz said the Russian side had "admitted
not delivering the full quantity of gas to Europe".
Energy
Minister Ivan Plachkov warned Ukraine would be forced to siphon off
Russian gas destined for European countries further downstream if
temperatures plunged below freezing.
As
its 48 million people braced for shortages, Ukraine accused Moscow of
seeking to destabilize its economy, which depends on Russia for about
a third of its natural gas import needs.
Russian
media spoke of a "gas war", while across Europe analysts
pointed to Moscow's potential power to wield its mammoth energy
supplies for political purposes.
The
United States warned the dispute had created "insecurity" in
Europe's energy sector and criticized Moscow for its
"sudden" move to cut supplies.
Arbitration
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Pro-West Yushchenko has estranged Kiev from its dominant neighbor. (Reuters)
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Ukrainian
President Viktor Yushchenko had met with ambassadors of the EU, Japan
and the US over the crisis, saying Kiev would seek international
arbitration to resolve the price dispute.
Russian
Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov called on the EU Tuesday to put
pressure on Ukraine.
"We
ask that influence be exerted on the Ukrainian side to bring it back
to lawfulness and guarantee it completely fulfill international
commitments of the unimpeded transit of natural gas through Ukrainian
territory to European Union countries," he said in a letter to
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, who took over as European
Union president on Sunday, January 2.
He
added Russia was ready "to fulfill strictly all existing
agreements and contracts with our European Union partners in the
interests of strengthening the energy security of the continent."
The
European Commission urged Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday to return to
talks.
"The
best possible solution would of course be for the parties to the
dispute to solve the conflict between themselves," a spokesman
for the EU's executive told reporters.
Russian
analysts believe the row may end up helping Ukraine's pro-Western
president in key parliamentary elections in March, where he faces a
serious challenge from Moscow-backed candidate Viktor Yanukovich.
Yushchenko
triumphed over Yanukovich in Ukraine's peaceful "orange
revolution" in late 2004, estranging Kiev from its dominant
neighbor.
"(Russian
President Vladimir) Putin.. is punishing Ukraine for not choosing the
right president," Vladimir Pribylovski, an analyst with the
independent Panorama research center, told AFP.
Energy
Independence
Europe’s
press warned on Tuesday that Russia's "new cold war", which
uses its massive supplies of natural gas as the main weapon, could
force Europe to seek more energy autonomy and cut its dependence on
Moscow.
"Russia's
use of energy as a political weapon could prove disastrous,"
Britain's the Times warned.
"Ukraine
may get through this winter, but the opening of a new cold war shows
that pipelines are the new weapons of choice for an embattled and
angry Kremlin."
However
the paper added that Moscow's tactics could backfire.
"The
lesson for Europe is clear... Europe's energy lifelines must never
depend on Russia."
The
Daily Telegraph said "the West
must resist Russia's bullying."
The
right-wing British daily saw Russia's decision to cut off Ukraine's
gas supply as "an economic revenge on a former Soviet republic
that has dared to declare its diplomatic independence, from Russia and
to look towards western Europe."
The
Financial Times urged the EU, the US
and Japan to tell Putin "that if he wants to keep his place among
the world's leaders he must start behaving like one."
The
centre-left Independent spoke of "the frightening
dependence of the European continent on Russian gas."
It
warned that Moscow may no longer be a military giant, "but it has
become an energy superpower".
In
France, the communist daily L'Humanit said that "the
brutality of this power play is really disturbing. It looks like the
first act in an open energy war."
The
leftist daily Liberation, under the front-page headline
"Putin puts on the pressure", said that Europe was worried
at its energy dependence on Russia.
"It
is time to remind our 'Russian friend' that in an ever more
interdependent world that it is in everyone's interest, theirs
particularly, to display responsible behavior."
In
Germany, the centre-left Suddeutsche Zeitung warned that
"Today Ukraine is the victim, but no one can say that it will not
also affect western Europe".
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