VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
Russia signed off on a new agreement for fuel deliveries to Europe, resolving its gas cutoff crisis with Ukraine. But much of what it did this weekend should warn Europe it's time to look for another supplier.
Bronwen Maddox's assessment of the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine (World briefing, Jan 8) fails to reflect the reality of the situation. This is not a crisis of Mr Putin's making. It is the result of Ukraine's flagrant violation of its commercial and legal obligations as a transit country, set out in the bilateral agreement between Russia and Ukraine, and as stipulated in Article 7 of the European Energy Charter.
Die EU - das beste Bündnissystem, das Europa je hatte. Dann kam Putin. Seine Pipeline-Welt symbolisiert ein anderes Mächtemodell - und die neue Abhängigkeit Europas.
Ein Kommentar von S. Kornelius
THE gas man cometh: the EU and Russian monitors assembled in Kiev for the biggest meter-reading in history are symptomatic of a new era of politico- economic games playing. Vladimir Putin, fresh from inflicting humiliation on Georgia, has begun to flex his muscles in other areas by cutting off gas supplies to Ukraine.
WITH JUST over a week to go before Barack Obama takes over the US presidency, it's obvious that the charismatic senator from Illinois is set fair to be the main mover and shaker of 2009. For a start he's moving into the world's most covetable address, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Then there's the not-so-little matter of the fact that he's not George W Bush. That counts for a lot, and great things are expected of Obama, provided always that he doesn't suffer from vertigo.
Three years ago, the Europeans were jolted when a gas-pricing scuffle between Russia and Ukraine briefly cut gas supplies to Europe. That led to a lot of talk about the need for a unified European Union stance toward Russia - and a rush by a few members to cut separate deals with Moscow. Now that it's happening again, and with far greater disruptions, the only surprise is that anyone's surprised.
On the surface, the battle between Russia and Ukraine that has choked off natural-gas supplies to much of Europe in the dead of a cold winter is a purely commercial dispute. Deeper down, it's something more menacing -- part of what looks like a calculated strategy by Russia to regain influence over countries that were once part of the Soviet empire and to neutralize European opposition.
Na swoim gazie, czy raczej na jego braku Moskwa piecze kilka pieczeni. Dowodzi partnerom z UE, że bez gazociągów na dnie Bałtyku i Morza Czarnego, które chciałby zbudować Gazprom, Europie grozi katastrofa i stara się skompromitować i doprowadzić do upadku prezydenta Ukrainy Wiktora Juszczenkę.
Not yet, but things could change if unemployment and social unrest continue to escalate. It's been hard not to look at Vladimir Putin and see a man who is powerful, and knows it. Yet, things could be about to change for Russia's commanding prime minister.
It is hard to see Vladimir Putin's gas war paying off. Yesterday, in ordering Gazprom to turn off the tap to the European pipelines running through Ukraine, he made it into a challenge to the EU, not just to the perpetually collapsing Government in Kiev. The Russian Prime Minister makes no secret of his determination to use the state gas monopoly as a weapon. Any pretence that this is a commercial row between a gas supplier and a customer is ridiculous.
