Ukraine’s transition from Russia’s deadbeat ally to Russia’s deadbeat enemy could be a serious problem for the rest of Europe, as Russia has warned EU leaders that the likely cutoff of gas supplies to Ukraine for non-payment could make it harder to export gas to the rest of Europe as well. President Vladimir Putin said that while his country intends to do everything it can to ensure continued supply to Europe, the Ukrainian government might siphon supply since the pipelines go through their country.
Even at the substantial discount they were being given before the recent regime change, Ukraine hadn’t paid their gas bill in so long that officials say they could owe $30+ billion between the bills and the fines for late payment, more than the recent IMF bailout.
During the Yanukovych government Ukraine was perpetually behind on payments, and since his ouster, and Russia’s announcement that it intends to stop giving them gas at a huge discount, the new government insists it just doesn’t intend to pay at all.
Which has Russian company Gazprom talking up the plan of making them pay in advance for future gas, something Ukraine probably can’t afford. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for them to hold off on any cuts, but other officials say the company could find plenty of other paying customers for their energy if Ukraine stops being an option.
And that’s not just Ukraine’s problem, but the rest of Europe’s, because of the difficulty in shipping the gas around Ukraine. Europe gets some 30% of its natural gas from Russia.
The US expressed outrage at the news that Gazprom was demanding to actually be paid for the gas, dubbing the threat to stop sending them essentially free gas was “coercion“
Shout it down, Close it, let these liberal idiots feel the pressure that people's life is worthy of whatever the economic action needed to save life's, not other way around. These liberals fascists, the guardians of aristocrats and fascists are sworn enemy of functioning democracy, they are willing to use all and every social garbages as fascist and hooligans and still calling themselves democracy or democrat.
What's the game? Russia cuts it off, then the new Ukraine calls Russia a big meany? Then everyone else joins in? Then people in NATO countries who didn't catch the deadbeat bit buy into the Big Meany bit?
When the gas is eventually cutoff, as it will be, the EU will be unable to claim they were never warned when the EU citizens dependent on the gas start demanding answers. The Ukrainians are gong to be so disappointed when they find out that they are not on the EU priorities list.
The west's narrative is so twisted that it resembles a disturbingly contorted game of Twister. Sooner or later it's all going to come crashing down on them.
Yes, it's twisted to the point of being disconnected from reality, which makes the possibility of miscalculation by the West very likely. Russia has over 8,000 nuclear warheads, and Russia can't back up any more; they are telling us but the West is not listening. I see disaster ahead if the West doesn't wake up to its lunacy.
Perhaps NATO will finally find its purpose by moving in troops to protect the pipeline from Ukrainian thieves. This could be the basis of a new detente.