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Putin Gives Blessing to Russia-Ukraine Gas Integration
Russian President Putin confirmed Thursday that Ukraine may gain access to Russian gas fields in exchange for a stake in the Ukrainian gas transit system. Ukrainian energy officials have offered Gazprom three plans to bring this idea to life, Kommersant’s sources report. Russia favors the option under which will let a joint venture buy the Ukrainian gas transit assets. Kyiv is willing to say “yes” in exchange for access to Russian natural resources with the guaranteed supply of up to 50 billion cu. meters of gas annually.
Speaking at his annual press conference in Kremlin on Thursday President Putin said that Russia and Ukraine are now discussing “the merger of assets, and Ukrainian partners would like to create a gas transport consortium and also enter producing assets in Russia.” The president himself called the move revolutionary because “we don’t normally do it”. He corrected himself later, though, recollecting similar plans of cooperation with German BASF and E.ON. Putin did not rule out that Ukraine may be included on this list: “Experts from the governments and presidential administrations are looking for the most favorable approach for Ukrainian partners to implement this idea.”
No official comment from Russia or Ukraine followed.
It is of note that Gazprom chief executive Alexey Miller met Ukrainian Fuel and Energy Minister Yury Boiko this week to “discuss cooperation in the gas industry”. A Kommersant source in the Ukrainian government specified that Ukraine has offered Russia three plans of further gas cooperation. The scenarios range from setting up a transnational cooperation which will own Ukrtransgas to the creation of a joint venture which will have the assets in concession. A source of Kommersant in Gazprom said the talks were “at an early stage”.
Russia is yet to draw the list of fields that Ukraine may get after amending the Constitution which bans selling pipelines to foreigners as a strategic asset. To make this exchange possible, Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko and his Party of Regions will need additional votes of President Viktor Yushchenko’s Our Ukraine or that of the Yulia Timoshenko Bloc.
In addition, “Ukraine needs to secure Russia’s support and guarantees of the annual supply of 50 to 70 billion cu. meters of gas from 2007, the time when its gas agreements with Turkmenistan expire,” the source explained.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 02, 2007
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