Kiev leaders may not want completely legitimate president - Putin
24 May 2014, 17:46 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin argued on Saturday that Ukraine's president to be elected on Sunday might become a transitional figure or, on the contrary, concentrate maximum powers, and that either possibility would trigger more intensive political strife in the country. Vladimir Putin said he would 'treat with respect' the choice of the Ukrainian people in the country's May 25 early presidential elections.
'This is what I think: the people who are in power in Kiev and the principal candidates for president are, after all, different people, and it may not be in the interests of those who are in control today that the newly elected president should be completely legitimate,' Putin said at a meeting with the chiefs of major world news agencies, Interfax reports.
Vladimir Putin argued that it is unlikely that the current strained relations between Russia and the West over the Ukraine crisis herald a new cold war.
'I wouldn't like to think that it's the start of a new cold war. No one needs it, and I don't think it's going to happen,' Putin said.
The president also said that in his opinion it would have been more logical for Ukraine to hold a referendum and amend the constitution before holding the elections.
'It would have been more logical and more fundamental in my opinion to hold a referendum at first, to adopt the constitution and then to hold the elections basing on the new legislature,' Putin said.
The Russian president said that Ukraine's winner in presidential election may turn out to be an 'intermediary person.'
'A new constitution may be adopted [after the election]. If this is how it turns out to be, then the new president could become intermediary. Or on the contrary, he would be accumulating maximum of authoritative powers. Both scenarios will be tied to the escalation of the domestic political fight,' Putin said, TASS reports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Russian-Ukrainian natural gas deal meant 'unheard-of generosity' on Russia's part and 'a highly partner-like attitude to our Ukrainian friends.' Putin made the comment at a meeting in St. Petersburg with the chiefs of leading global news agencies.
Russia strictly abides by all provisions of the gas contract with Ukraine, but will discuss price discounts for the Russian gas only after Ukraine repays its previous debts, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday.
'Russia firmly sticks to each letter, period and coma in the contract,' he said adding that Russia was interested in supplying gas 'to responsible buyers, who pay the price stated in the contract.'
The president said he was indeed surprised that Russia should reduce the gas price for Ukraine, which failed to repay the previous debts. He reiterated that Russia's previous gas price discount for Ukraine was tied to the lease of the Black Sea port of Sevastopol.
Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz's debt to Moscow currently stands at about $3.5 billion with the gas price standing at $485.5 per 1,000 cu m. European consumers are afraid the situation may affect transit gas supplies to Europe.
Russia is ready to accommodate Ukraine and discuss the reinstating its gas discount, but only after debts for gas supplied in the past when the discount applied are settled, Putin said.
'We've told the new authorities [in Kiev], okay, we understand your difficulties, we're ready to met you half way, we're ready to discuss possible discounts with you, but pay us at least the debt that was accrued during that period when these discounts applied, until April 1 this year,' Putin said.
Russia is 'open to a constructive dialogue' on natural gas issues with Ukraine, Putin.
'We are open to a constructive dialogue, bit it must be based not on demands or ultimatums with unclear motivations but on civilized market work,' Vladimir Putin stated.
Ukrainian radicals' threats to disrupt gas transportation arouse concern - President Putin
Russia is worried by Ukrainian radical elements' threats to disrupt the transportation of Russian natural gas further to Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. 'I won't deny that we are seriously worried by Ukrainian radicals' statements and open threats to hinder gas transit. We still hope common sense will prevail there,' Putin said at a meeting with managers of leading energy companies at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Saturday, Interfax reports.
Russia is accurately fulfilling its contractual obligations on shipping energy resources to other countries and expects the same approach on the part of the consumers and the countries across which these energy resources are transported, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
'I'd like to stress: we favor fulfillment of contractual obligations in good faith. We expect that the consumers and the transiting countries will take just as responsible approach,' Putin said at a meeting with top managers of leading energy companies on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Saturday.
It stands to reason that, 'even in the periods of loud remarks on the need to reduce energy dependence on Russia, shipments of our energy resources to Europe were growing steadily,' he said.
Russia is not inclined to over-dramatize its partners' plans to increase the number of suppliers of natural gas to Europe, Russian President Vladimir Putin says.
'Yes, we know about our partners' plans to expand the number of gas suppliers to Europe, but we are not over-dramatizing the situation. We have no doubts that the EU perfectly understands that supplies from Russia help diversify the European Union's energy balance,' Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with top managers of leading energy companies.
Such supplies help reduce the EU energy balance's dependence on the extremely unstable Middle Eastern region, Putin said.
Russia retains sovereignty over the national energy resources but is interested in drawing long-term foreign investment in its fuel and energy sector, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
'Certainly, we stick to the principle of sovereignty over our national resources. At the same time, Russia is interested in drawing long-term foreign investments in its fuel and energy enterprises. Longstanding practice shows that this is mutually beneficial,' Putin said at a meeting with top managers of leading energy companies on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
Not only does such cooperation promote the development of the Russian national fuel and energy sector, but it also helps expand Russia's presence on international energy markets, he said.
'Which also fully meets consumers' interests,' he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin believes the European Commission should assume an active position on projects of direct routes for energy exports to Europe, including the South Stream project.
'The situation in Ukraine yet again confirms the relevance of our initiatives on direct routes of energy exports to Europe. Including the South Stream gas pipeline that we are building now. We believe the European Commission should also assume an active position on the matter,' Vladimir Putin said.
Russian President Putin has branded calls for reducing Russia's foreign partners' dependence on Russian energy supplies as 'stupid.'
'The talk on the need to reduce energy dependence on Russia, in my view, is absolutely stupid, because unilateral dependence never occurs in such instances,' Putin said.
'This dependence is always mutual, and therefore, it promotes reliability and stability in the world economy and energy sector,' Putin said.
Even amid 'loud remarks on the need to reduce such dependence on Russia, supplies of our energy resources, for instance, to Europe have been growing steadily,' he said.
Protection of European energy consumers' interests is among the European Commission's top priorities, Putin said.
President Vladimir Putin agrees that the commercialization of shale gas deposits in the United States would increase the offer of gas on the international market. At the same time, to arrange exports of this type of gas from North America to Europe, 'major investments will be needed, as it is necessary to build the essential infrastructure on both sides of the Atlantic,' Putin said.
The prices for this type of gas 'in the Asia Pacific region are 60 percent more than the European ones,' he said.
'The prices for Russian pipeline gas are quite competitive and, what is the most important, predictable, as they are based on time-tested and efficient pricing instruments,' he said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin doubts that the US could become Russia's rival on the European energy market because the US is better off selling its gas to Asian consumers.
'It is true that our friends and US partners are planning to become net exporters of gas in the foreseeable future, which is only an advantage for the world market and for us as well, at the end of the day. However, it is essential to create an infrastructure on both sides of the Atlantic to get liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports going between North America and Europe. I'm sure that all experts and businessmen sitting in this room are aware of this. Large-scale investments and a considerable amount of time will be required. In addition, LNG prices in the Asian-Pacific Region are 1.6 times European ones', Putin said at a meeting with energy companies' executives on Saturday during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
'It is as plain as daylight that US LNG producers are better off dealing with the bonus-bearing Asian market. No one will operate at a loss. More than that, everyone and you in the first place aim at making profit, which is absolutely logical in the market economy,' Putin said.
At the same time, the Russian president pointed out that prices for Russian pipeline gas are competitive and predictable because they are based on well-tried and effective pricing instruments also used by other natural gas exporters.
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