Russian EU envoy Vladimir Chizhov - Gas blockade of Donbass sure sign Kiev no longer sees territory as its own

© ITAR-TASS/Donat Sorokin

From the standpoint of logic the Ukrainian government and Naftogaz are obliged to supply gas to Donbas if they consider this territory as Ukrainian, Russia’s EU envoy says

A stop to gas supply to Donbas by Ukraine may be interpreted by all impartial onlookers as a sure sign Kiev no longer regards the area as its territory, Russia's EU envoy said on the eve of trilateral gas talks in Brussels on March 2.

The problem of gas supplies to Donbas is confined to the need for Kiev to make a choice: how it sees this region, and if it still considers the people living there as Ukrainian citizens. If this is so, from the standpoint of logic the Ukrainian government and Naftogaz are obliged to supply gas there. If they suspend gas supplies to Donbas, every observer will clearly see that Kiev no longer regards this territory as its own," he said.

And from RIN:

Kiev never resumed gas supplies in the Donbass. Donetsk national Republic considers these actions as an economic blockade, said the Commissioner DND on Minsk talks Denis Putilin.

"At this point in time, delivery [from] Ukraine has not resumed. The situation is that they are looking for ways to justify destroyed pipelines gas transmission and more. In reality, it's just one of the elements of the blockade, "said Putilin. Remember, on February 19, Naftogaz said that they had stopped the flow of gas in the Donbass due to critical damage inflicted on transmission infrastructure during combat operations, but then said that delivery began after the break [ceasefire]. Because of this, the Prime Minister of Russia Medvedev D. A. ordered a study of the issue of gas supplies from Russia to the Donbass in the form of humanitarian aid. According to him, citizens in these regions should not be allowed to freeze. Then the head of the Board of Gazprom, Alexey Miller said that the Russian gas company increased supplies of natural gas to the area of Ukraine on Friday. The head of Naftogaz of Ukraine Andriy Korolev said that the Ukrainian Company will not pay for the gas that Gazprom supplies in the Donbass, because, in the opinion of the Ukrainian side, it is contrary to the contract.