Russia puts the thumbscrews on Ukraine

The focus of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Kiev on Monday and Tuesday this week is gas and political sovereignty. Russia is cranking up the pressure on Ukraine, the daily Der Standard notes: "The desired fusion between Russia's Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogas is meant to secure the Kremlin's control over gas transit to Central and Western Europe. If Ukraine shows itself unwilling Russia threatens it with constructing new pipelines to the north and the south so that it will eventually be able to circumvent Ukraine. So Ukraine is faced with the choice of giving up another piece of national sovereignty or losing more and more income from gas transit - which is an important source of revenue for the already struggling state budget. Despite his reportedly pro-Moscow stance, President Viktor Yanukovych wants to integrate the Europeans in a future pipeline company. This gives Russia the chance to prove what it has always claimed: that its gas policy is not simply superpower politics using different means."

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