Employees of Ukrtransgaz are seen at the gas pumping station at Ukrainian settlement of Orlovka, about 280 km (174 miles) west of the Black Sea port of Odessa, January 13, 2009. Russia started pumping gas destined for Europe via Ukraine on Tuesday for the first time in nearly a week, but the European Union said little or no gas was flowing to countries suffering urgent energy shortages. REUTERS/ Gleb Garanich (UKRAINE)From AP:
MOSCOW (AP) — More than a week after Russia halted natural gas shipments to Europe through Ukraine, about one-fifth of Europe's supplies remains hostage to a conflict that goes far beyond energy prices.
While the dispute has commercial roots, it is revealing itself increasingly to be a political struggle rooted in Ukraine's embrace of the West, domestic politics on both sides, and the Kremlin's ambition to expand its role as an energy superpower.
So far neither side seems in a hurry to resolve the crisis, which has crippled parts of eastern Europe particularly. Instead, each may be jockeying for long-term advantage in a high-stakes confrontation that could reorder Europe's energy grid.
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