“I hope that the West will help Russia understand Ukraine”: Ukrainian MP’s expectations of G8 summit

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“Ukraine repeatedly demonstrated its capacity to maintain uninterrupted transit of the Russian natural gas to Europe. This also concerns critical situations, as the one of last winter. In fact, our country then received moral approval and support of its European partners. Today too, we count on the same position of G8 members,” Ukrainian parliamentary, Our Ukrainian faction member Igor Kril told REGNUM correspondent on June 3 regarding his expectations of the G8 summit in St. Petersburg to be held on July 15-17.

“It is very important to help Russia understand Ukraine and give her time to switch to international natural gas rates. It will take from four to five years. At the same period, Ukraine will be able to reorient its economy for energy-saving technologies and move on to the market rates for natural gas transit,” the politician argued. According to him, all the continental powers and all the natural gas market players are interested in such a gradual and thus conflict-free and crisis-free transition. Whether it becomes real, depends also on the leading world powers position, asserted Kril.

Experts maintain that one of the main issues to be discussed at the G8 summit in St. Petersburg is global energy security. In this context, Russia is going to raise a number of issues, including the one of Ukraine’s responsibility for the uninterrupted gas transit to Europe.