Putin urges talks with Europe on state of Ukraine economy
MOSCOW. April 10 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged European leaders to join forces with Russia to "stabilize Ukraine's economy and to ensure delivery and transit of Russian natural gas" to Europe.
"There can be only one way out of the situation that has developed. We believe it is vital to hold, without delay, consultations at the level of ministers of economics, finances and energy in order to work out concerted actions to stabilize Ukraine's economy and to ensure delivery and transit of Russian natural gas in accordance with the terms and conditions set down in the contract. We must lose no time in beginning to coordinate concrete steps. It is towards this end that we appeal to our European partners," Putin said in a letter to the leaders of countries to which Russia transmits gas through Ukraine.
"It goes without saying that Russia is prepared to participate in the effort to stabilize and restore Ukraine's economy. However, not in a unilateral way, but on equal conditions with our European partners. It is also essential to take into account the actual investments, contributions and expenditures that Russia has shouldered by itself alone for such a long time in supporting Ukraine. As we see it, only such an approach would be fair and balanced, and only such an approach can lead to success," Putin said.
"The fact that our European partners have unilaterally withdrawn from the concerted efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, and even from holding consultations with the Russian side, leaves Russia no alternative," he said.
At the start of the letter, Putin accused the leaders' of European countries of unwillingness to hold talks with Russia on the state of the Ukrainian economy.
"Instead of consultations, we hear appeals to lower contractual prices on Russian natural gas - prices which are allegedly of a "political" nature. One gets the impression that the European partners want to unilaterally blame Russia for the consequences of Ukraine's economic crisis," he said.
"At the Russia-EU Summit at the end of January, we came to an agreement with our European partners to hold consultations on the subject of developing Ukraine's economy, bearing in mind the interests of Ukraine and our countries while forming integration alliances with Ukraine's participation. However, all attempts on Russia's part to begin real consultations failed to produce any results," Putin said.
"Ukraine's economy in the past several months has been plummeting [and] is steadfastly heading towards a default, a halt in production and skyrocketing unemployment," he said.
"Right from day one of Ukraine's existence as an independent state, Russia has supported the stability of the Ukrainian economy by supplying it with natural gas at cut-rate prices," the president said.
"The total volume of natural gas delivered to Ukraine as was stipulated in [a contract signed on behalf of Ukraine by former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko in 2009] during the period of 2009-2014 (first quarter) stands at 147.2 billion cubic meters. Here, I would like to emphasize that the price formula that had been set down in the contract had NOT been altered since that moment. And Ukraine, right up till August 2013, made regular payments for the natural gas in accordance with that formula," Putin said.
The addressees of the letter were the leaders of Moldova, Romania, Turkey, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Macedonia, the Czech Republic, Poland, France, Germany, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Austria, and Italy.
