Anton Antonenko: Russia’s game versus European rules

Russian energy policy towards Ukraine – and increasingly, also towards the EU – is based on pressure and blackmail rather than on economic interests and seeking for consensus. By confusing its partners and trying to make them disagree with each other, the Russian monopoly Gazprom tries to safeguard its status in relations with the EU. In these circumstances, the EU and Ukraine should stand united – as the interest of both of them is the application of European legislation (the Third Energy Package) – so that the limits of a single energy market reach the Russian border.