A Story of Gas and Poland
One year after the first serious talk about Russia’s intention to build a pipeline to export its natural gas to the West bypassing Ukraine, this issue turned up again during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Poland. It seemed last year that in this rather sensitive issue Warsaw was more active and consistent in defending Ukraine’s interests than Ukraine itself was and is. This time, like last year, the tenors of reports by the Russian and the Polish press on the subject of the export pipeline differ. According to the Russian media, the issue has been as good as solved in principle. The Polish news agency PAP (www.dziennik.pap.pl) says, citing President Alexander Kwasniewski, that Poland has to decide first how much gas it needs: an expert study should be carried out to estimate the real amount of natural gas Poland needs.
From the very beginning, Warsaw has insisted that in solving the sensitive issue of Russian natural gas supplies, the interests of each side be taken into consideration: Russia, the European Union, Poland and Slovakia on whose territories the pipeline is supposed to be laid and Ukraine, the main transit territory at present. Both Russian and EU representatives have assured us in recent months that the actual point in question is extending export capacities in general, to meet the growing energy consumption in the EU member-countries. It is also planned to increase supplies of natural gas via Ukrainian pipelines. As representatives of Ukraine and the European Union stressed during their latest meetings, it is their cooperation in implementing the EU energy strategy that could become one of the priorities in their relations.
Now President Kwasniewski, according to Gazeta Wyborcza (www.wyborcza.pl), offers Russia his country’s transit capacities for further fuel exports, which apparently only demonstrates traditional Polish pragmatism. Simultaneously, Pres. Kwasniewski reiterates that the solution of this issue demands talks with Ukraine, among others.
On the whole, the present atmosphere surrounding this issue appears to be somewhat calmer and less politicized than it was a year ago. Yet, it should not be forgotten that natural gas was and remains the ace in Russia’s game. Nor should it be forgotten that the leaders of the European Union and its member- states do not care overly much about how Western Europe will receive the raw materials and fuels it needs.
Obviously, Ukraine must be prompt in presenting its own vision of the problem and possible options of its involvement in the process, while leaving the general phrases at home.
