Yulia Timoshenko’s adviser: Gazprom’s statement is tough pressure upon Ukraine

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Gazprom’s statement about possible cutting down deliveries of natural gas can be assessed as nothing but tough pressure upon Ukraine from Russia. The statement was made today to a REGNUM correspondent by Yulia Timoshenko’s aide for energy policy, candidate to the parliament Alexander Gudyma.

“I think that apart from political essence of Gazprom’s statement all the rest is nonsense. The thing is that a debt between economic agents, which are RosUkrEnergo and Gazprom, is normal practice and it cannot be the reason for suspending gas supplies to Ukraine,” Alexander Gudyma believes. Yulia Timoshenko’s aide believes that such statement is in favor of a single force in Ukraine – Viktor Yanukovich’s government. “It was the Viktor Yanukovich government, the Russian government and Russian leadership ion general that were the strongest supporters of the current scheme of gas delivery to Ukraine with mediation of RosUkrEnergo as well as lending the Ukrainian gas-transporting system to Gazprom. It turns out that a week ago everything was fine and now we have a debt, doesn’t it?” he asks.

Answering a question about how the event will develop further, the expert says that “Ukraine’s prime minister Yulia Timoshenko will fulfill her pledge and with support of President Viktor Yushchenko will seek suspension of activity of RosUkrEnergo.” A new government, according to him, will propose a new transparent scheme of gas supplies to Ukraine, where a joint venture will be established by the state-run companies of Ukraine (Naftogaz Ukraine) and Russia (Gazprom).

Earlier, the Russian gas monopolist announced in a special statement that “Ukraine’s debt for the gas delivery is over $1.3bn” and if the debt is not settled in October, “the gas concern will have to start cutting down the gas delivery to Ukrainian consumers.”