Ukraine and Russia resumed tense talks yesterday amid Russian threats to cut off natural gas exports to its energy-dependent neighbor within 72 hours unless Kiev agrees to pay four times as much.
The dispute has brought to a boiling point the tensions that have strained relations between Moscow and its former imperial satellite since reformist President Viktor Yushchenko came to power in Ukraine after last year's Orange Revolution, promising to move his nation of 48 million toward integration with the West.
Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly Gazprom has threatened to turn the taps off at 10am on Sunday if Ukraine refuses to sign a new contract at a price of US$220-230 per 1,000m3.
That is more than four times the current tariff of US$50. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov on Wednesday denounced the Russian demand as unacceptable pressure. Ukraine relies on Russia for nearly a third of its gas needs.
Ukrainian Energy Minister Ivan Plachkov flew into Moscow on Wednesday for talks with his Russian counterpart Viktor Khristenko but the two officials left the negotiations late in the evening without a deal.
Officials from OAO Gazprom and the Ukrainian state energy firm Naftogaz met on Wednesday morning and the two ministers were due to resume their talks later in the day.
Gazprom argues that it has every right to demand the increase as a justifiable move to scrap energy subsidies enjoyed by former Soviet nations and move the price it charges Ukraine more into line with world levels.
Ukraine, which fears such a sharp rise in energy costs could cripple its energy-intensive heavy industry and impede efforts to boost its economy, has asked for the increases to be phased in over five years instead of all at once.
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS