Main focus of Thursday, August 13, 2009

Fears of a new gas conflict

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has accused his Ukrainian colleague Viktor Yushchenko of pursuing anti-Russian policies in an open letter, and withheld the appointment of a new ambassador to Kiev. Ukraine had previously expelled two Russian diplomats for allegedly engaging in "non-diplomatic activities". Now the European press fears a new gas dispute between the two countries.

Postimees - Estonia

The daily Postimees expresses concern about the new foreign policy signals coming from Moscow as well as the tougher rhetoric regarding Ukraine: "Russia is thus resuming its old arrogant policy of interfering with its neighbouring states. The war in Georgia last year was a clear sign. Yesterday [Wednesday] President Dmitry Medvedev announced in a video message that his open letter to Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko was not a standard document but contained a nuanced assessment of the political leadership in Ukraine and its work over the past years. Among other things it criticises Ukraine's reassessment of the 1930s famine caused by Stalin. … Moscow will crank up the pressure on Kiev and there is the danger of another gas dispute in the winter ahead of the elections which will reduce the chances of the Western camp winning." (13/08/2009)

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Financial Times - United Kingdom

The Financial Times criticises Russia's foreign policy and calls Ukraine's domestic policy a complete mess: "The idea of Russia balancing the explicit promise of 'strategic partnership' with the implicit threat of gas cut-offs and hard times ahead is not new. In 2004, Mr Putin openly backed pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovich for Ukraine's presidency, with a similar combination. Back then, however, the pressure did not work. Ukraine's voters - and the Orange Revolution - swept Mr Yushchenko to power instead. Five years on, Ukrainian domestic politics is a shambles. When US Vice-President Joe Biden visited Ukraine last month he warned Kiev to put its house in order. Mr Yushchenko's approval ratings are in single figures and the man likely to replace him is the man who lost in 2004: Viktor Yanukovich. If Mr Medvedev's pressure works any better this time around Ukraine's politicians will have themselves to blame." (13/08/2009)

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Diena - Latvia

For Diena newspaper Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's open letter to Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko demonstrates that Moscow continues to see Ukraine as a vassal state: "Nevertheless it's not true that before the Orange Revolution relations were always rosy between Russia and Ukraine. Even under former president [Leonid] Kuchma it almost came to a military conflict over territorial disputes. But the current conflicts under Yushchenko's presidency above all stem from Ukraine's finally considering itself a truly sovereign state, one that does not automatically share Russia's interests. Both gas conflicts also resulted from the fact that Russia is trying to gain control over the Ukrainian pipeline network. But that hasn't worked and it won't work in future, because Ukraine has signed an agreement with the EU over securing supplies." (13/08/2009)

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Gazeta Wyborcza - Poland

Commenting on the new tensions between Moscow and Kiev the liberal daily Gazeta Wyborcza takes sides with Ukraine: "President Dmitry Medvedev … blames Kiev - and above all Viktor Yushchenko - for all the difficulties, saying that he is hampering the stationing of the Russian fleet in Crimea and discriminating against Russian companies on the Dnieper [river]. He also accuses him of distorting the past because he described the 'Holodomor' [Ukrainian famine of 1932/33] as genocide. And he's also expelled Russian diplomats and so on. In response Moscow is waiting for the presidential elections [in Ukraine] before it sends another diplomat. Medvedev has not forgotten that Ukraine threw out two Russian diplomats for spying in Ukraine. … Moscow treats Kiev like a younger brother, but without knowing its psychological make-up." (13/08/2009)

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