Russia's State Duma warns Ukraine of a difficult winter
(Baonghean.vn) - Valery Seleznev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma in charge of Energy, said that a difficult winter awaits Ukraine.
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| Ukraine's gas pipeline. Photo: Ria Novosti |
In an interview with RT, when asked about the idea of the European Solidarity Party of former President Petro Poroshenko submitting to the Ukrainian Parliament a draft resolution banning the direct purchase of green fuel from Russia, Mr. Seleznev affirmed that such options cannot improve dialogue with Moscow.
According to the Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma, it seems that from Ukraine's point of view, this is a completely reasonable step to strengthen its position in the gas transit contract negotiations between Moscow and Kiev.
"However, Ukraine should understand that this is not the way to improve dialogue, nor is it a necessary and sufficient condition for fully restoring the transit contract through Kiev," said Valery Seleznev.
The Duma deputy added that in this way, Ukrainian politicians are trying to show how difficult it is for Kiev to negotiate with Moscow.
"Those who directly participated in the negotiations understand better than anyone the underlying reasons for this. This winter, Kiev did not easily overcome. Therefore, similar statements from Kiev can explain the problems of the Ukrainian people in the future" - Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Valery Seleznev commented.
Kiev stopped buying Russian gas in November 2015, and instead buys gas from Europe and storage facilities, although Ukraine finds the cost of buying gas from Europe significantly higher than buying directly from Russia.
Moscow has repeatedly stated its readiness to restore direct supplies to Kiev. However, Ukraine has not made any moves. Moreover, the European Solidarity Party of former President Petro Poroshenko has said that buying Russian fuel is a "serious threat to national security."
