Senior Russian MP says USA behind disruption of gas supply to Europe
RIA-Novosti
Moscow, 14 January: The USA is to blame for the disruption of Russian gas supply to Europe because Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko upholds America's interests in the gas conflict, according to head of the State Duma committee for economic policy and enterprise Yevgeniy Fedorov.
"The dispute between Moscow and Kiev is commercial, but it is also has a political character because the 'orange' revolution was organized precisely with the aim of creating problems for Russia," Fedorov said on the air of Ekho Moskvy radio.
Asked by the presenters who was the "source of evil" in the conflict, whether it was Moscow or Kiev, and who was to blame for Europe "freezing", the MP replied: "It's Washington".
He added that the interests of Ukraine and Yushchenko did not coincide.
"Yushchenko does not reflect the interests of the Ukrainian people," Fedorov said. In his opinion, Yushchenko, who was appointed president through "undemocratic instruments", upholds the interests if those who "appointed" him.
"It's understood that Europe is freezing, but where were European politicians when an undemocratic regime was being created in Ukraine by undemocratic means?" the MP said, commenting on European politicians' statements about the situation with the disruption of gas supplies to Europe.
Fedorov also said that, in the conditions of a global financial crisis, Russia has a safety margin. Thus, if the oil price falls to 32 dollars a barrel, the budget revenue will be reduced by about 20 per cent. He believes that, in the worst-case scenario, Russia can safely last about two years without sequestering the budget, by using its reserves.
He did not, however, rule out the possibility of adjustments to this year's budget.
At the same time the MP believes that the economic crisis was caused not only by purely economic problems in the world. "The economic crisis is the crisis of the unipolar world. The collapse of the unipolar world will be accompanied by complex phenomena, such as the latest developments in Ukraine and the Baltic states," he said.