West 'smiling' and fueling tension between Russia and Ukraine

The gas crisis is an artificial tension created by Washington and Brussels, which want to see friction between Russia and Ukraine, political expert Alexander Nekrassov told RT, adding that the West smiles every time the two can't sort out a disagreement.

RT:Gazprom says Ukraine has threatened to siphon the transit gas. Could we be looking at a repeat of 2009 – with power shortages in Europe?

Alexander Nekrassov: Basically, let’s look at it from a different point of view altogether. These talks on the gas prices basically had nothing to do with gas, because we know that the Ukrainian government is under pressure from the EU and America.

Now, America first of all does not need to have any sort of agreement in place at the moment. America needs more tension between Russia and Ukraine, and it is doing everything to keep the tension intact. I think that until we have a crisis, a sort of a civil war situation in eastern Ukraine, to try to negotiate with the Ukrainian side and expect reason and logic from it, would be probably impossible.

And I think Aleksey Miller and the Russian government understand that and although they are trying to negotiate and put pressure of sorts, trying to find a reasonable solution, I do not think they will be able to do that. And they know, as I already said, that there is a third party at the table which is pressing Ukraine into taking this position which is impossible to resolve.

So forgetting the prices and all other things, this will continue until the EU and the US change their attitude towards this situation. And I do not see any resolution until they do.

RT:Why is the US so invested in the gas situation between Ukraine and Russia?

AN: The current situation is such that there is basically no way out. No matter what the sides will say, no matter what the Russian side will offer, it will be refused. And we're seeing that every time Russia is making a concession, the Ukrainian side says, “No, no, we cannot accept this.” And they are actually making statements which torpedo all the talks which have been taking place before.

Now what we are seeing here is not blackmail by the Ukrainian side, what we are seeing here is the blackmail coming more from the Americans and the EU. Why? Because these Europeans and Americans were saying all along to the Ukrainians, “Ok, we don't want you to be with Russia because we're going to save you. We are going to give you loads and loads of money.”

Money is not coming. In a normal situation after what has happened in Kiev in February and later, you would expect the EU, which is supposedly having a boisterous recovery, to start paying for Ukraine, because it basically took over running Ukraine. And America also chipping in and paying as well. This so-called conflict based on gas prices would have been resolved months ago.

But no, they keep the situation intact. They are not offering any support to Ukraine in a sense of paying for the Russian gas coming to Ukraine. They are deliberately creating a standoff and they themselves are saying that they are worried that the gas might stop coming to the European customers. So we are basically seeing a situation where it is the EU and the US that are causing all the problems.

And I, witnessing everything that is going on from London, can tell you something – every time Russia and Ukraine are seen as not being able to sort out their problems, the people in Washington, Paris, Berlin, and London in the political establishment, they are smiling, because it is what they want.

I think it is time to caution the people in Kiev and say to them, “guys you are working for the West.” You are not working for the interest of your own people. Do something, resolve this situation. Stop causing problems.