Russia shuts off gas to Ukraine
Interesting development...This action can have wider implications.. What about the gas supplies to europe ? More importantly, it is a precedence. What if Opec stopped selling oil to certain countries.. would that be allowed / tolerated ?
Russia's gas giant Gazprom said it turned off the taps at 0700 GMT, when its contract to supply Ukraine ended.
Ukraine insists it has paid off its debts to Gazprom, but Russia contests this. The two countries have also failed to agree on a price for 2009.
Both Russia and Ukraine insist that gas supplies transported via Ukraine to the European Union will continue as normal.
There have been fears that the row could lead to energy shortages in Europe, as pipes across Ukraine carry about a fifth of the EU's gas needs.
A similar row between Gazprom and Ukraine at the beginning of 2006 led to gas shortages in several EU countries.
The European Commission said Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko had given her assurances that there would be "no disruption of gas supplies to clients in the European Union".
Ukraine's state energy firm Naftogaz confirmed that supplies had dropped off steadily, and said it would start pumping gas from its reserves.
Ukraine says it has built up enough reserves to see it through the next few months.
BBC
You may have a point. This is one reason, i am against NATO.
britexpat,
Many nations have used economic embargos to achieve their strategic objectives..this nothing new...the mistake the Europeans made was to fall into the trap of allowing Russia to have such an upperhand over their economic affairs....and guess what...it was the US that encouraged it because the US knew that it was in their interests to keep Europe tied up in her domestic affairs and out of the way of US ambitions elsewhere....
Ukraine gave up its "nuclear weapons" including strategic bombers in return for fuel for Ukraine’s nuclear power reactors.
Ukrainian by word:
"In the shadow of the great oaks the grass cant grow ! "
http://www.qatarliving.com/node/314490
Bush was the worst American idiot to come along in a long time so nothing he said can be taken seriously.
It can be argued that by cutting oil production GCC countries are manipulating commodity prices so Russia is just taking an extreme position.
As far as Russia and Ukraine goes. Russians controlled the wheat supply and storage (a commodity) in the 1930's causing a famine and starvation of 7 million Ukrainians. Russia has always been the most brutal major empire and continues to aspire to return to that status. So now after a century of raping Ukraine of natural resources and killing her people the Russians are cutting gas. Just par for the course for the monsters in Moscow. They would love to get Ukraine back and have every intention of doing so. The gas is just an excuse to cause harm to Ukraine and weaken the people. The supply of gas is being used as a weapon just as the supply of wheat was used as a weapon.
One of the worst things the Bush morons did was force Ukraine to give up nuclear arms for American aid. A nuclear Ukraine would not be treated so poorly by Russia. Without nuclear arms no attack can be mounted. Russia does not care about world opinion.
Wars have been fought over commodities since time began. No reason to think that will change as the planet is grossly overpopulated.
"DA" means "YES" in russian and romanian language.
http://www.qatarliving.com/node/314490
What ??? what hae i to do with russia??
i just want russians
Don't play with vodka, britex! :)
I don't want to sing "Kalinka" in my country...
You're right.. the producer has the right to sell to whomsoever he wishes.. BUT,
Regarding the Gulf War, Secretary of State Baker saw Saddam Hussein as "sitting on our economic lifeline." President Bush portrayed him as having a "stranglehold" on our economy.
SO, that means that the "buyer" is willing to take action to protect its needs. Hence, theoretically, Europe has the right to attack Russia to protect its gas supllies..
Yes or No ?
they can, brit..and they do it.. when they want...:)
how about US embargo against syria? Cuba?..
i guess it's entirely up to the producer of any product whether to sell it to someone else or not...
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“You become responsible forever for what you have tamed”. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
US with the blessing of its tail UK imposed sanctions on Iraq for almost 10 years resulting in hundred of thousands of children dying from lack of food and medicine.
So what is the big deal about Russia beating Ukraine to submission?
So, if Russia can do it, because no one is brave enough to confront it, then why can't other energy producers do the same ?
eh, brit.. russia alwasy was doing it... and what, only russia likes to practice such embargo? all strong parties like to show their 'muscles' once in a while.. not only in politics.. :):)
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“You become responsible forever for what you have tamed”. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
There has been news in Romania that because of the gas being cut (we get it from Russia through Ukraine) bills will rise much more because the quantity we produce is not enough (40% of the gas comes from outside, mostly Russia)
http://www.qatarliving.com/node/314490
My point was that Russia is using a commodity as a weapon. Is this a precedent ? Should the world allow it to happen , since it causes suffering to millions of people?
This is good news for Qatar and Other Stable Gas producing Countries. Eventually Europe will turn to other suppliers for gas. Btw, Gas Prom is currently having problems supplying enough Gas to Russian Consumers so that might also be the reason for this cut of supply to Ukraine.