Vitali Klitschko, the leader of the UDAR faction in Ukraine's parliament, hopes that shale gas production in Ukraine helps resolve many political issues.
“There is a lot of discussion today about expanding domestic gas production with shale gas,” Klitschko said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“We hope that those contracts that have been signed will in future supply the lion’s share of Ukrainian demand, which would resolve a lot of issues, political issues, and take cards out of the hand of our opponents, who use gas for its political, not economic, component,” he said.
However, he said, shale gas production must meet environmental standards. “We need to be convinced that there will be no environmental damage. That is a principle issue.”
The gas issue is no longer an economic issue, he said.
“What’s interesting is that in the past it was partly politics, but now it’s pure politics,” Klitschko said.
“I am confident that we should build relations with our neighbors, including those that export gas, on the basis of mutual benefit, respect. Nonetheless, under the circumstances, we should move forward based on the economic component and the interests of Ukraine,” he said.
