Russia-Ukraine Transit Deal: A Crisis Postponed?
- Autores: Alan Riley
- Localización: Notes internacionals CIDOB, ISSN-e 2013-4428, Nº. 226, 2020, págs. 1-6
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
The last minute signing of the transit contract between Russia and Ukraine has led to a fall in European gas prices as markets reacted to news of the deal.
The deal took place in the context of reforms in the Ukrainian energy sector which saw the unbundling of Naftogaz and the certification of the new transmission system operator by the Ukrainian authorities.
The principal reason for the willingness of the Russian Federation to authorise Gazprom to do deal with Naftogaz was that on December 20th the US had placed effective sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
The strategic objectives of the Russian Federation to end transit across Ukraine, to isolate Kyiv from its EU neighbours, restore gas dependence and restore Russian influence remain in place.
To counter such threats Ukraine and its allies should consider a number of steps.
The first is for the EU and the US to assist in funding interconnectors between Poland and Ukraine and expanding storage capacity in Ukraine.
