.Russian leader says Ukraine endangering gas supply
MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has accused Ukraine of endangering European gas supplies, and threatened to delay sending a new Russian ambassador until relations with its neighbor improve.
In a letter to Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko released Tuesday by the Kremlin, Medvedev also criticizes Yushchenko's push to make Ukraine a NATO member and his support for an Orthodox church outside Moscow's control.
Russia and Ukraine have had troubled relations for years, but the new criticism was unusual for its strong language and its length.
Ukraine is due to hold presidential elections in five months, and Medvedev suggested Russia would not be backing pro-Western Yushchenko for re-election.
Russia-Ukraine relations "will resume on a fundamentally different level - that of strategic partnership - and this moment will not be long in coming," Medvedev said in a "video blog" posted on the Kremlin Web site in which he comments on the letter to Yushchenko. "I hope that the new leadership of Ukraine will be ready for the breakthrough."
Ukraine offered no official reaction to Medvedev's statements, but the comments could raise anger if seen as an attempt by Russia to interfere in Ukraine's internal affairs.
Russia openly supported Yushchenko's opponent, Viktor Yanukovych, in the 2004 elections that were annulled after the huge "Orange Revolution" street demonstrations protesting vote fraud. Yushchenko won the rerun.
Ukraine is the main transit country for Europe-bound Russian natural gas, and political tensions aggravate gas price disputes. In a dispute this winter, Russia suspended deliveries through Ukraine for two weeks.
Medvedev, in the letter, decried "the gathering impression that Kiev is consistently seeking a rupture in forming economic ties with Russia, especially in the energy sector.
"As a result, the stable use by our countries of the ... unified gas transportation system that guarantees the energy security of Russia, Ukraine and many European states is placed under threat."
The Russian president also accused Yushchenko of stirring up anti-Russian sentiment to justify his efforts to gain NATO membership and of interfering with the operations of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which is based in the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol.
Ukraine ordered two Russian diplomats to leave last month to protest weapons movements by the Black Sea Fleet that Ukraine said were not permitted.
The Ukrainian authorities also took an unusually long time to consider the candidacy of a new Russian ambassador. Medvedev said he decided to postpone sending the ambassador.
Medvedev's letter also criticized Ukraine for its efforts to have the famine of 1932-33 recognized as genocide.
Most historians believe that the famine was caused by Josef Stalin's brutal collectivization campaign and the widespread confiscation of grain to fund the Soviet dictator's frenetic industrialization drive. Russia opposes the term genocide, saying other ethnic groups also suffered.
MyWay
It's looking more like energy is the next weapon of choice.
They're out to ruin Obamas presidency!
He may find himself forced to liberate Cuba, just to save his own skin..and defeat the enemy.
In a letter to Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko released Tuesday by the Kremlin, Medvedev also criticizes Yushchenko's push to make Ukraine a NATO member and his support for an Orthodox church outside Moscow's control.
Russia and Ukraine have had troubled relations for years, but the new criticism was unusual for its strong language and its length.
Ukraine is due to hold presidential elections in five months, and Medvedev suggested Russia would not be backing pro-Western Yushchenko for re-election.
Russia-Ukraine relations "will resume on a fundamentally different level - that of strategic partnership - and this moment will not be long in coming," Medvedev said in a "video blog" posted on the Kremlin Web site in which he comments on the letter to Yushchenko. "I hope that the new leadership of Ukraine will be ready for the breakthrough."
Ukraine offered no official reaction to Medvedev's statements, but the comments could raise anger if seen as an attempt by Russia to interfere in Ukraine's internal affairs.
Russia openly supported Yushchenko's opponent, Viktor Yanukovych, in the 2004 elections that were annulled after the huge "Orange Revolution" street demonstrations protesting vote fraud. Yushchenko won the rerun.
Ukraine is the main transit country for Europe-bound Russian natural gas, and political tensions aggravate gas price disputes. In a dispute this winter, Russia suspended deliveries through Ukraine for two weeks.
Medvedev, in the letter, decried "the gathering impression that Kiev is consistently seeking a rupture in forming economic ties with Russia, especially in the energy sector.
"As a result, the stable use by our countries of the ... unified gas transportation system that guarantees the energy security of Russia, Ukraine and many European states is placed under threat."
The Russian president also accused Yushchenko of stirring up anti-Russian sentiment to justify his efforts to gain NATO membership and of interfering with the operations of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which is based in the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol.
Ukraine ordered two Russian diplomats to leave last month to protest weapons movements by the Black Sea Fleet that Ukraine said were not permitted.
The Ukrainian authorities also took an unusually long time to consider the candidacy of a new Russian ambassador. Medvedev said he decided to postpone sending the ambassador.
Medvedev's letter also criticized Ukraine for its efforts to have the famine of 1932-33 recognized as genocide.
Most historians believe that the famine was caused by Josef Stalin's brutal collectivization campaign and the widespread confiscation of grain to fund the Soviet dictator's frenetic industrialization drive. Russia opposes the term genocide, saying other ethnic groups also suffered.
MyWay
It's looking more like energy is the next weapon of choice.
They're out to ruin Obamas presidency!
He may find himself forced to liberate Cuba, just to save his own skin..and defeat the enemy.
posted by madtom at 7:53 PM
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