Barroso and Yatseniuk: “Russia should stop destabilising Ukraine”

Ukraine threatened a legal battle, the European Union international isolation – and Moscow is at the centre of cross criticisms, yet targeted on a single focus. The Ukrainian government visited Brussels to sing the new support programme for the transition process of the country, and the temporary Prime Minister, Arseniy Yatseniuk, together with the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, attacked together the Russian Federation for its economic, political and international policies. “We urge Russia to review the gas supply contracts on the basis of market rules, we sent Gazprom a letter in which we warned them we are ready to get it in front of the International Arbitration Court in Stockholm,” said Yatseniuk. Then the ‘gas issue’ will be brought to a court. Someone reminded that Moscow demanded the payment of the overdue amounts, the Prime Minister said that “Kiev sent Gazprom an offer for the payment of the arrears in 10 days” provided that they reconsider the contracts. “We need to sign a new agreement first.”

It’s not over yet. Ukraine is going to get Russian at the court for the economic troubles following the annexation of Crimea. “Russia annexed Crimea,” denounced Yatseniuk, “obtaining Ukrainian properties, national companies, drilling plants on ground and sea, and over 2 billion cubic metres of Ukrainian gas. We want them at the Court.” Russia, promised Yatseniuk, “will fail in its attempt of making Ukraine fail.”

Barroso, underlining that Ukraine “can count on the European Union now and in the future,” called for a Russian commitment in de-escalating the situation. “Were Russia to keep on its behaviour, it can only be targeted to a higher international isolation.” Barroso was not talking about economic sanctions, those included in the ‘step three’ of the European strategy and on which Member States do not agree. Yet, he still warned the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, that his behaviour “is not in the interest of Russia,” a country with internal “stability problems,” as reminded by Barroso. Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia represent serious separatist forces against the Russian central government, hence, said Barroso, “supporting instability in neighbouring countries is not a good omen for the Russian future.” Thus, summarised the European Commission President, “our message to Russia is to engage, to implement its part of the Geneva statement, to repeal the mandate of the Federation Council to use force on Ukrainian soil and to act as a responsible stakeholder of our community of nations.”