In my household, gas is something we only giggle about when we happen to stumble across it, but they just can’t stop discussing the stuff on the other side of the Atlantic.
Chances are you’ve seen it in the news almost every day for the past month, but basically Russia and its national gas supplier, Gazprom, chose to discontinue their deal to provide gas at vastly discounted prices to the Ukraine at the end of last year. The decision was based on long-running accusations that the former Soviet Republic was turning a profit by reselling the inflowing petrol.
The flow was officially shut off on Jan. 7, and the matter was complicated by a decision to withhold petroleum to European Union countries to make up for the Ukraine’s alleged wrong-doing.
This was especially interesting to me, because it made me realize the unique way that the Kremlin makes its announcements. Instead of directly addressing a camera and the television viewing audience, officials will sit down and televise a staged conversation. For the issue surrounding the EU, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin sat down with Gazprom President Alexei Miller, and Miller explained his reasons for believing supplies to Europe should be cut. The meeting ended when Putin said, “Yes, hearing your reasons, I agree. Go ahead and do it.” And, kids, that’s how policy is born.
An agreement had been reached to resume gas flow on the condition that the lines be inspected by EU monitors. But according to today’s article on Deutche-Welle World, President Dmitri Medvedev says no dice. The Russian leader nullified the three-way deal on accusations that negotiators from Kiev tried to tack on a handwritten note to the document adding unapproved sweeteners to the deal.
This is hilarious to me, because I can’t help but picture a stack of official looking contracts with a messy napkin stapled somewhere in the middle with “ALSO MORE GAZ, PLEEZ” written in a scrawl with some backwards letters.
Anyway, EU officials are now contemplating legal action to ensure their deal is honored. Considering that the EU gets roughly 25% of its gas from Gazprom, Russia holds the muscle in this deal. Even if they achieve a legal success, I’m going to file away their chances of not being shafted into my personal “Fat Chance” category.
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