MOSCOW – Ukraine committed a strategic error several years ago when it refused to rent out its Soviet-era gas transportation system to Russia and the European Union, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, Dec.20.
“We believe Ukraine committed a strategic, fundamental mistake. We offered jointly with the Europeans to take Ukraine’s gas transportation system on lease, without breaching Ukrainian legislation while keeping it in Ukraine’s ownership,” Putin said at an annual Q&A session in Moscow.
Had Ukraine agreed, Russia would have assumed obligations for developing and fully loading Ukraine’s gas transportation system, Putin said, adding that Russia “is ready, even today, to hold talks on this issue.”
