Alexander Gorobets: Ukraine needles Russia to please Washington

11 months have passed since the Ukrainian parliament declared the involvement of the top officials to the disappearance of an opposition-oriented journalist. This was actually a break in the official relations between Kiev and Washington. The head of the Ukrainian government Anatoly Kinakh was the first of the Ukrainian top officials, who was received in Washington this week. Kinakh had meetings with US Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and President of the World Bank.

The observers marked, the Ukrainian premier had to behave ingratiatingly for the US had a suspicious look at him. He had to promise everything and praise the American policy. Making a speech at the press-conference in Washington, Kinakh claimed, Ukraine welcomed the collaboration between Russia and NATO as well as the process of the EU and NATO expansion.

Speaking about the relations between the Russian Federation and NATO, the premier of Ukraine said, such cooperation “gave an opportunity to provide peace and quietness on the European continent.” At the same time Kinakh said that the membership of new countries in NATO and EU should not become an end in itself or “a short political conjuncture.” The main thing here is “not to let the cooperation between Russia and NATO and also Ukraine and NATO and EU take place at the expense of other countries,” – said the premier. He also added, that the communication of the people in Europe and their movement should not be worsened as a result of EU and NATO expansion. “We are building the common European house and it is important for it to be built on the principles of equal cooperation and democratic, transparent politics.”

The issue about the gas transportation system was a separate subject for discussion. In this respect Kinakh stated, Ukraine was studying a possibility for privatization or conveying the Ukrainian gas-transporting system as a concession in order to attract foreign investments and to raise the competitive capacity of this system. The premier stressed that Ukraine was going to preserve the control over the activity of the gas-transporting system for this system was “a national patrimony” of the state. Ukraine’s gas-transport system carries over 130 billion cubic meters of gas annually to 19 countries of Europe (while its capacity is 170 billion). Kinakh claimed Kiev was considering any intentions to set up the new gas pipelines around the Ukrainian territory as “an attempt of the political pressure” on Ukraine. Ukraine is needling Russia here – the requisite condition to make Washington like Ukraine.

On the photo: Ukraine's Prime Minister Anatoly Kinakh

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2001/10/31/33261.html