As the frigid winters are ready to arrive, the EU is becoming anxious about the falling gas supplies as it confronts a gas shortage due to its sanctions against Russian gas. While this is happening, Ukraine, for which all of the European countries have done all in their power to ensure that Ukraine wins the war against Russia, is moving on with its own goals. Ukraine is going the extra mile to extract its pound of flesh from the EU by stockpiling the EU’s share of gas.
Ukraine’s way of extracting its goals
This is indeed true! Lately, Ukraine’s former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko who is now an MP and the head of the Fatherland party has claimed that Ukraine’s state-owned Naftogaz gas company is running a massive embezzlement scheme.
Naftogaz, the largest state-owned oil and gas firm in Ukraine and a significant source of income, contributed over 17% of the nation’s total state budget revenue in the previous fiscal year. The company is seeking billions of dollars from the government for alleged gas purchases even though Ukraine does not need additional gas for the winter. Timoshenko claims that a measure being passed by Ukrainian lawmakers will provide Naftogaz with the funding it needs to make the gas acquisitions. The corporation will receive 150 billion hryvnias ($4.08 billion) from the budget to purchase six billion cubic metres of natural gas from abroad.
Yulia Timoshenko claimed that the foreign aid Ukraine got is now being used to buy the gas it doesn’t need. Ukraine aims to gain from the European gas shortage that is currently in place. The MP further claims that Ukraine already produces and has enough gas stored to last through the winter and may even get up to seven billion more cubic metres of gas during the forthcoming heating season.
But it’s obvious what Ukraine is attempting to achieve in this situation. It is attempting to cut off the already limited gas supply to the EU. EU has recklessly given Ukraine economic and military assistance, but Ukraine is stabbing on EU’s back for its own reasons. Of course, the additional financial and military aid without much hassle of paying them back is one of the reasons.
Ukraine stabbing EU
Such actions are not being undertaken by Ukraine for the first time. Ukraine has previously attempted to rattle the EU’s nerves. For instance, in mid-May, Ukraine suspended operations of the Novopskov compressor station that delivers around a third of gas piped from Russia to Europe via Ukraine. Additionally, it stopped the delivery of wheat to Europe and other developing nations in an attempt to obtain weapons and money. Furthermore, it denied demining the ports but blamed Russia for impeding traffic via the Baltic Sea. It also warned Canada of taking Ottawa to the court if it delivered the turbine to Russia to restart the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline.
All above, it routinely demanded funding of $8 to $9 billion per month to support the country while at war.
Even after obtaining sizable guns from the West that it sells on the illegal market, it has questioned the West’s pace of weapon delivery.
Read More: Miffed at EU’s cold response, now Ukraine stops Russian gas supplies to Europe
And now it has come to use gas as a weapon of blackmail against nations like Germany, as Ukraine intends to store gas an unnecessary share of gas.
Timoshenko asserted on Monday that Naftogaz was still preparing to pull off the “scam of the century” by embezzling out up to 264 billion hryvnias ($7.18 billion) and “sending them to offshores.” Additionally, she urged President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government to convene a conference of diplomats from the G7 countries, MPs, and independent specialists to examine the situation.
“Could the president not be aware? Are you not aware of the ‘scam of the century’ that Naftogaz is currently implementing?” she questioned in her post.
Without a doubt, Zelensky is ready to play this trump card in the future in exchange for something more significant from the EU. Before Ukraine stockpiles its gas reserves and these European countries are left with nothing but frigid homes and no gas to power their businesses, the EU needs to awaken from its deep slumber.
