The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) denounces the attempt by the Russian Federation on 1 March 2018 to use gas as a weapon by stopping the supply of pre-paid gas to Ukraine and forcing Ukraine to take emergency measures.
The UWC reiterates the importance of lessening the energy dependence on the Russian Federation which grossly violates international agreements, including the UN Charter, Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances and Minsk agreements, and openly ignores the principles of peaceful coexistence.
The UWC also commends the Ukrainian people who played a key role in helping the country to avoid an energy crisis by responding to calls from the Ukrainian authorities to turn their residential heating down by one degree.
“The Ukrainian World Congress urges the European Union to heed this incident as a warning on the danger of proceeding with the Nord Stream II pipeline project that will only give the Russian Federation more tools with which to blackmail the West and use gas even more effectively as a political weapon, creating a more dangerous and unstable energy situation in Europe,” stated UWC President Eugene Czolij.
