Article
Putin to Ukraine: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you
Front page / World / Former USSR
03.10.2008 Source: Pravda.Ru
Pages: 12
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko conducted negotiations with her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on October 2. Tymoshenko arrived in Moscow to discuss the question with the price on natural gas, which Ukraine buys from Russia.
Putin to Ukraine: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you
Experts say that Tymoshenko may take an advantage over her political rivals in Ukraine in the event the problem is solved positively for Kiev.
Tymoshenko’s trip to Moscow was quite an adventure. Her flight on board the presidential jetliner was canceled shortly before the departure. It was said that President Yushchenko supposedly needed to use the plane too for a flight to Lvov. As a result, Tymoshenko had to board a charter plane. Spokespeople for the Ukrainian prime minister in Kiev said that the incident with the plane had been plotted by Yushchenko’s camp.
Putin reminded Tymoshenko during their meeting in the Moscow region that Ukraine was making arms shipments to Georgia.
“It is a great pity that Ukraine considered it possible to deliver arms to the conflict zone,” Interfax quoted Putin as saying. “There could not be a bigger crime committed to the people of Ukraine and Russia than making arms shipments to the conflict zone,” he added after the talks.
“It was impossible to imagine several years ago that Russians and Ukrainians will be fighting each other,” Putin said. The prime minister emphasized that the shipments per se were not that significant since it was a commercial matter. “But there were military systems and people used to kill soldiers – Russian people, which is an alarming signal for us,” Putin stated.
“Has it been done for the sake of the Ukrainian nation? What are the interests of the Ukrainian people there? This is a political intrigue, an irresponsible and harmful crime, the crime, when the Russian and the Ukrainian nations clash,” Putin said.
Yulia Tymoshenko was not so emphatic in her remarks. She stated that all the accusations need to be proved first. “I do not think that the facts will be confirmed,” she said.
Vladimir Putin pointed out that the unstable political situation in Ukraine may eventually question the effectiveness of the signed agreements between Moscow and Kiev. “But I hope that they won’t be revised,” he added.
“Unfortunately, our meeting is taking place under very complicated conditions. It is connected with the uncertainty in the decisions linked with the political situation in Ukraine. One question arises in connection with the agreements that we are discussing today – what is going to happen with them tomorrow?” Putin told Tymoshenko.
Tymoshenko stated that Ukraine considers Russia as an absolute strategic partner.
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1 comment:
This article did shed some light on the issues surrounding Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia. I know that the Russians invaded Georgia, however, I was unaware of Russia’s dealings with the Ukraine. It raises questions, such as, why was Tymoshenko “plotted” to be stopped by President Yushchenko? Is there hostility between them? From reading further on, I think yes. President Yushchenko is making political decisions that conflict prior agreements made between Russia and Ukraine and conflicts with Tymoshenko. Under my impression, President Yushchenko’s arms dealings should be stopped. However, one common opinion in Ukraine is that Russia is trying to invoke too much power over its formerly controlled countries. I do not think that view is wrong, but Yushchenko is making bad decisions nonetheless. Tymoshenko and Putin did come to some agreements and her opinions of Russia are becoming more positive, which is good, but she should be cautious.
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