MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator) - A day before the Moscow gas summit January 17, it is clear the meeting will not go as planned. Summits require participation of the heads of state but the European Union (EU) has decided to send to Moscow its Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, and Czech Energy Minister Martin Riman.
This may not be a bad thing. Professionals will find it easier to understand the technicalities of gas transit.
It is also good that Europe is coming to us, but it is bad that we expect too much from it. We are sorry for Ukrainians, Russians, Serbs, Bulgarians, Romanians, Italians, all Europeans that do not have enough gas. We are not sorry for Viktor Yushchenko and Julia Tymoshenko that seem to have nothing to lose. They have put themselves into a gas chamber from which they will not emerge unscathed. We are sorry for Dmitry Medvedev, Vladimir Putin, and for Alexey Miller and all of Gazprom and for gas in general. Everything seemed to start out correctly, but now that all sides have taken part in analyzing the crisis, it has become totally unclear who has gone overboard.
Official invitations have been sent to Austria, Armenia, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Britain, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Finland, France, Croatia, Montenegro, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Estonia, and the EU.
It is clear that Angela Merkel will not come because she is meeting Prime Minister Putin in Berlin on the 16th of January. Ukrainian Prime Minister Tymoshenko will come to Moscow on January 17, but according to Ukrainian sources, she will come to talk with Putin, not to the gas meeting, although there is a chance that she will take part in it. President Yushchenko said the meeting should take place in Brussels rather than Moscow. Tymoshenko may attend the gas summit as a demonstration of her strong dislike of Yushchenko.
We are very offended when we hear what is contrary to our wishes. We want Ukraine to be blamed for everything. But why should we expect this from a Europe that wants even relations with both Russia and Ukraine? It is enough that Europe does not openly support Ukraine, which is a big step forward. Polish President Lech Kaczynski's solidarity with Yushchenko does not matter much here. He has long caused displeasure even in Poland. By the way, in 2005, Europe blamed Russia for all gas squabbles.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent those of RIA Novosti.
