Putin Wants Europe to Help Ukraine Pay Natural Gas Bill
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Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images(MOSCOW) — Russian President Vladimir Putin wants Europe to help Ukraine pay its natural gas bill to Moscow if the continent wants to keep receiving the fossil fuel.
As of Thursday, Russia claims the Ukraine’s total debt is around $35 billion. The letter to 18 European leaders suggest that Putin is ready to play hardball in his efforts to keep Ukraine from drifting further into the Western sphere of influence.
Europe already knows what Moscow is capable of. When Russia turned off natural gas supplies to Ukraine during a 2009 dispute, European countries were also affected because they had been receiving gas from Kiev.
The high debt allegedly owed by Ukraine may be too rich for Europe’s blood since the International Monetary Fund is only willing to pledge $14 billion to help the country out of its economic doldrums.
Meanwhile, the U.S. pledge of around $1.3 billion also won’t be enough to placate Putin if he wants all the money up front.
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