Securing the Russian-Ukraine gas deal is the main reason behind Yushchenko's visit to Brussels, according to Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Hrihoriy Nemyria, speaking in Brussels on Monday (26 January) after being questioned by EurActiv as to the political background of his visit.
Fears that the ruling Ukrainian coalition might unravel the agreement rose after reports suggested that Yushchenko had announced his intention to re-write the deal, signed on 17 January between Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko and her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The information had been leaked by Oleksander Shlapak, an economic aide to Yushchenko.
Robert Fico, prime minister of Slovakia, one of the countries worst hit by the crisis, reportedly described the attempts by Yushchenko as "completely crazy".
Speaking on Monday at a public debate organised in Brussels by the German Marshall Fund of the US, Nemyria seemingly launched an attack on the official who leaked the information. "Usually we say that a civil servant has to be colourless, tasteless and odourless. Well, this civil servant is colourless and tasteless, but as for the smell, I think he is quite smelly," Nemyria said.
Next problem: Belarus?
The deputy prime minister hinted that new problems might arise. Belarus has not yet signed a new gas agreement with Russia, which Nemyria described as "not normal".
From Brussels, Yushchenko will fly to the Polish city of Wroclaw, where he will meet Polish President Lech Kaczynski and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency. The 76% drop in gas supplies to Poland, after reductions in imports via Ukraine and Belarus, appears to be a major issue on the agenda.
Poland has been importing increasing amounts of gas through Belarus to partially compensate for the complete halt of deliveries through Ukraine during the gas crisis.
Russia policy 'anti-European'
Pierre Noel, senior policy fellow at the European Council of Foreign relations and author of a recent policy paper entitled 'How to deal with Russian gas', said at the conference that Russia has EU policy ambitions, which he personally believes is "an anti-EU policy".
Russian ambassador to the EU Vladimir Chizhov, who also took part in the debate, strongly rejected the accusations.
"I believe that the Sarkozy regime has a better view of EU-Russia relations," Chizhov said.
"We don't have a Sarkozy regime. We have a French Republic," Noel answered, amid applause from the audience.
