Ukraine’s interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk announced today that he considers the new price announced by Russian gas company Gazprom “unfair,” and that Ukraine won’t pay it.
During the previous government, Gazprom has been pressured to provide a substantial discount on gas, but since the ouster of the pro-Russian government, they are raising the price from $268 to $485 per 1,000 cubic meters, roughly the same price as Gazprom charges other European countries.
It is unclear how long Gazprom is going to keep providing gas to Ukraine if it isn’t being paid, and the move appears to be a gamble by the interim Ukraine government that the EU will pony up more heavily subsidized gas rather than let the nation’s economy collapse for lack of energy.
On the other hand, Ukraine hadn’t been paying Gazprom the $268 rate at any rate, and had racked up billions of dollars in unpaid bills, so it isn’t clear if today’s policy of not paying their bills amounts to a real departure in Ukrainian government policy, or just more of the same.
Just another typical case of a "non-paying customer."
Even a Nazi affiliated, illegitimate foreign imposed putsch junta can of course be called a " interim government" but let´s call a spade a spade shall we?
OH Well Done Ukraine.
I wonder how long world trade will go on if everyone refuses to pay for what they buy and use.?
Will the EU supply gas to Ukraine free if Russia cuts off supply?
If I tried this at my local gas station, wonder how long it would be before they cut off the supply?
"…policy of not paying their bills amounts to a real departure in Ukrainian government policy…"
No, not a departure but when Russia turns off the flow for non-payment it will get the attention of the people – who seem to remain highly perturbed at the new coup-provided government. The next meet-up at the Maidan will possibly be to replace the "interim" government.
This gives Russia a very large advantage. They can cutoff the flow and let things happen as they may…or Russia can get the EU/NATO to sit down and discuss the facts and issues like civilized people with similar concerns and figure out a way to salvage this disaster. The first couple of meetings will be to dissuade the US of its belligerence and posturing and get them to understand that Russia holds the high hand on this one and will not be taking direction from the US/EU.
Given the financial situation in Ukraine, one has to ask WTF were the US/NATO thinking when they got involved in an internal Ukrainian issue?
The bankster vultures first destroy a country. Then move in and strip the carcase. Then buy the carcase for next to nothing. Then put the people, destitute and enslaved, to work — at slave wages forced by the need for "austerity" — rebuilding the carcase till it's fat and juicy, whereupon it's "rinse and repeat", and the bankster vultures strip it once again. Same old same old, from the time of Joseph in Egypt to the present day.
The bankster vultures first destroy a country. Then move in and strip the carcase. Then buy the carcase for next to nothing. Then put the people, destitute and enslaved, to work — at slave wages forced by the need for "austerity" — rebuilding the carcase till it's fat and juicy once again, whereupon it's "rinse and repeat", and the bankster vultures strip it once again. Same old same old, from the time of Joseph in Egypt to the present day.
The Ukrainians are probably trying to provoke a Russian attack, which would further discredit Putin and might just force the US to come to their aid militarily. Never forget that the big loser in the US capitulation over Crimea was Israel and every new capiyulation damages Israel still furthet. Since the interim PM is himself Jewish, he's probably quite conscious of that.
Re: " Never forget that the big loser in the US capitulation over Crimea was Israel"
How so?
Not to worry the US have their backs.
They don't pay? So don't send!
This all becomes a lot more clear if you remember that the US and the EU are economic rivals. The US is run by psychopaths, they don't have friends, only interests.
It wasn't so long ago that the Euro was seriously being considered as a potential rival to the Dollar, that is until the economy of the Eurozone was ruined by toxic financial derivatives, mainly emanating from the US. The US has no particular economic stake in Ukraine, the neo-con meddling has started a pissing match between the Eurozone and the Russian Federation (another major US rival) to the detriment of both.
This whole affair is likely to cause a lot more damage to the EU than to the Russian Federation, the Russians will at least have the compensation of getting at least one and possibly all of their lost provinces back. The Eurozone on the other hand gets comprehensively screwed and is likely to get lumbered with the basket-case economy of Ukraine proper (everything West of the Dneipr river) including a large contingent of neo-nazis, yummy!