Ukrainian security secretary says Russian president was misled on missing gas

Inter TV, Kiev
14 Jul 05

[Presenter] Talks on the transit of Iranian gas via Ukraine will be
turned into specific agreements, National Security and Defence Council
Secretary Petro Poroshenko has said on his return from Iran. Ukraine
plans to take part in building a gas pipeline, and a meeting of all
interested parties will take place in Tehran on 25 July. It is planned
to lay the pipeline via Armenia, Georgia, Russia and
Ukraine. Poroshenko says this project is very profitable for Ukraine.

He plans to discuss gas with his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov next
week. However, he hopes that all misunderstandings about whether
Russian gas went missing or not will be sorted out at the meeting.

[Russia’s Gazprom claimed 8bn cubic metres of gas that Ukraine was
supposed to transit to Europe had disappeared. Ukraine said the gas
was in its storage facilities.]

[Poroshenko, addressing a news conference, speaking Ukrainian] I sent
the relevant document to the energy ministry [uses Russian
abbreviation Mintop] – the Ministry of Fuel and Energy [uses Ukrainian
abbreviation Minpalyvenerho]. Inspections were carried out. A report
was made to me. Moreover, a news conference was organized to say that
the gas is where it should be. I think that this discussion that took
place with all the consequent comments was instigated by the Russian
side because it has an interest in portraying itself as a reliable
partner and in making out that it’s difficult to work with Ukraine
because it’s an unreliable partner.

I’m certain that in this case, the Russian president was simply
deliberately given incorrect information.