Ukraine to sue Russia on gas issue: Cabinet ordered to prepare for ‘gas war’

UKRAINE - In Brief 13 Jun 2014 by Dmytro Boyarchuk

Arseniy Yatsenyuk, prime-minister of Ukraine, ordered the Cabinet to get prepared for gas supplies' cutoff starting Monday, he wrote on his Facebook page today. The authorities finally start a trial with Gazprom at the Stockholm Arbitration Court over the gas contract. It is for the first time in the history conflict between Ukraine and Russia was drawn to international court. The outcome of the trial is not predetermined but Ukraine has good chances to get better conditions than currently Russia proposes (Moscow suggest $100 prices discount with efficient price near $380 per tcm). In fact over the last few months Ukraine has managed to pump in gas storages enough gas (near 13 bcm) to survive easily till the end of the year. Put it different, the country has enough safety margin to continue bargaining efficiently. Unfortunately, we cannot predict reaction of Russia to this step (Kremlin just generates random decisions) but in any case this move of Kyiv will bring relations between the two country to absolutely new level. Hope Moscow will not respond with weapons to Kyiv’s demand for justice.

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