European Union: Held hostage by Russia’s Gazprom
The dispute between Russia and Ukraine over gas prices has ramifications for the European Union because its supply comes from pipelines that cross Ukraine.
It’s January, and that means Russia is cutting off the gas to Ukraine, said Jakob Zirm in Austria’s Die Presse. Bickering over gas prices has become “an annual tradition” for the two countries. But the dispute has ramifications for other countries, as well. Russia’s gas monopoly, Gazprom, exports its product to the European Union through pipelines that cross Ukraine, so when Gazprom cuts the gas flow, Ukraine can make up the shortfall by taking some of the gas intended for other European countries. Then all Europeans, not just Ukrainians, feel the chill. That’s why Europe must start finding “other sources” of gas and oil, a tricky task given that the only other ready supplier is the politically unpalatable Iran.
Ukraine says it hasn’t touched a drop of the gas intended for Europe, said Yves Bourdillon in France’s Les Echos. Eastern European countries are getting less gas than they need, but Ukraine says that’s because Russia has reduced its deliveries to make Ukraine look like a thief. The EU, meanwhile, “doesn’t want to get involved.” The Czech Republic, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said the problem is “a commercial dispute,” not a political one.
That’s a big mistake, said Roger Boyes in Britain’s The Times. We have “bought into the myth that Gazprom is a normal commercial concern.” In reality, the reductions in gas flows have nothing to do with gas prices. If they did, “Moscow could have initiated serious talks about long-term supply contracts rather than engaging in annual price wrangles.” The Russian gas giant is actually “a political weapon” that the Kremlin deploys in its battle to prevent the EU and NATO from absorbing Ukraine, a former Soviet republic that Russia feels should still be its vassal. It wants the EU to see Ukraine as untrustworthy.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In this dispute, “determining who is right and wrong is a futile process,” said James Marson in Britain’s The Guardian. Yes, Russia is mingling commerce and geopolitics, but “the opacity and corruption of business in Ukraine” is part of the problem, too. Ukraine is simply going to have to find a way to pay market price for the gas it needs. It can’t keep playing the increasingly tired “Kremlin ‘evil empire’ card.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Is the death penalty racist? Of course it is.'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - May 8, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - social media guilt, gag orders, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Boy Scouts changes name to Scouting America
Speed Read The organization is rebranding, citing inclusivity
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published