“An empty undertaking and black PR”: Poroshenko called for sanctions against gas supplies from Russia

Former President of Ukraine, and now MP Petro Poroshenko demanded to urgently convene the National Security and Defense Council and impose sanctions on Ukrainian companies that agreed with Gazprom on direct gas supplies from January 1, 2020. According to him, the corresponding agreement was "the result of secret negotiations in Paris," at the summit of the Norman Four.

“These are not commercial contracts, they are political ... The authorities crossed in this sense those“ red lines ”that people loudly warned on the eve of the Norman meeting,” Poroshenko wrote on Facebook.

Thus, he commented on media reports that five Ukrainian companies have signed agreements with Gazprom. Recall that on the eve of the “Norman” summit in Kiev, the so-called veche of the opposition took place, both Poroshenko and the leaders of the Batkivshchyna and Golos parties Yulia Tymoshenko and Svyatoslav Vakarchuk called for this protest.

According to the ex-president of Ukraine, Moscow will sell gas to the “fifth column at a significant discount”, and uses the proceeds from it “to finance political parties and undermine the foundations of Ukrainian statehood,” which is a threat to national security.

“European solidarity” will require the immediate convening of the National Security and Defense Council and the imposition of sanctions against direct gas supplies from Russia, ”he stressed.

Recall that on Friday, December 20, Moscow and Kiev signed a protocol of agreements regarding the continuation of gas transit through Ukrainian territory. According to the five-year agreement, which should be signed before December 29, the transit volume will be 65 billion cubic meters of gas in 2020, and 40 billion each until 2024. At the same time, Kiev withdraws claims of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine against Gazprom in the amount of 171.9 billion hryvnias (about $ 7.4 billion), in turn, the Russian holding company will pay approximately $ 2.9 billion according to decisions of the Stockholm arbitration court before the end of the year. In addition, both parties reject new claims.

“We have found mutually beneficial, mutually acceptable solutions for the Russian Federation and for Ukraine and, most importantly, for European consumers,” said Dmitry Kozak, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.

Prime Minister of Ukraine Aleksey Goncharuk, in turn, noted that for Ukrainian business and the population this agreement means no increase in gas prices this winter season.

"An empty venture Poroshenko"

State Duma deputy from Sevastopol Dmitry Belik believes that the statement of the former Ukrainian leader is intended only to recall his existence in the information and political space.

“Poroshenko’s statement is an attempt to draw attention to his person again, for whom, apparently, his political career, at least in the foreseeable future, is very vague. And this radical measure, as the ex-president of Ukraine hopes, should stir up society, because he believes that black PR is also a definite, but glory, ”the parliamentarian said in an interview with RT.

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The former president of Ukraine is opposed to interests beneficial to his country. Such an opinion in an interview with RT was expressed by Vladimir Dzhabarov, the first deputy chairman of the committee of the Federation Council on Foreign Affairs. In his opinion, the document on the introduction of sanctions for direct deliveries of Russian gas will not receive the necessary support in the Verkhovna Rada. Recall that in the Ukrainian parliament, the party of Petro Poroshenko “European Solidarity” has 25 mandates with the minimum required for the adoption of laws of 226 votes.

“Poroshenko is an ardent enemy of Ukraine itself, I think so. Because this contract will be beneficial primarily to Ukraine ... I think that it will not work. The level of support for his party is about 10%, and the "young men" on the streets are unlikely to be able to force the Ukrainian authorities to abandon this agreement, ”said the senator.

In turn, the chairman of the Federation Council Commission on Information Policy Alexey Pushkov said that Petro Poroshenko “was late for the gas train,” which left without him.

“It is unlikely that the Ukrainian authorities imposed sanctions against Ukrainian companies that signed contracts with Gazprom on direct deliveries after the gas agreement between Moscow and Kiev. Poroshenko’s empty venture, ”he wrote on Twitter.

According to Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at IMEMO RAS, the process of normalizing relations between Russia and Ukraine completely eliminates the political strength of Petro Poroshenko and his party.

“Their entire program is built on conflict and exacerbation of relations with Russia, and they are worried that the population is moving away from them. Therefore, they are looking for all sorts of pretexts to remind themselves of the Ukrainian and international public. In principle, I think that they have an understanding that their time has passed, and what they offered the Ukrainian public is no longer in demand, ”explained the interlocutor of RT.