You're reading: The Moscow Times: Why Medvedev Got Tough on Yanukovych

Can foreign policy serve as an indication of where things are heading within Russia’s ruling tandem? A closer look at what’s happening in relations with Ukraine provides insight into maneuverings within the tandem as it approaches the time to decide who will run for president.

In the past couple of weeks, President Dmitry Medvedev has taken an unusually hard-line stance toward Ukraine. He has ridiculed President Viktor Yanukovych and his government over their pleas to reconsider Gazprom’s lucrative gas contract with Ukraine. He has accused the Ukrainian authorities of “free-riding,” admonished them on the sanctity of contracts, and delivered an ultimatum on Ukraine’s Independence Day to join the customs union or sell their pipelines and get an “integration discount” for gas.

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