Russia Seeks to Maintain 'Energy Bridge' to the West

MOSCOW — Russia denied Friday that its temporary cutoff of natural gas to Ukraine last week in a pricing dispute raised doubts about its ability to act as a responsible energy supplier to Europe. But a Foreign Ministry official acknowledged that there were "certainly ... political factors" in Moscow's aim to maintain a strategic route for transporting gas to Western Europe.

"In areas where economic interests coincide with objective national interests, certainly the issue of politics comes into play," Alexei Sazonov, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said in an interview. "Those who know Russia's current economy understand that without this energy bridge [through Ukraine to Europe], Russia will not be able to fuel the further growth and development of its economy."

As Russia assumed the presidency of the Group of 8 industrialized nations this month, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday accused Moscow of acting "with an obviously political motive" when it sought to sharply increase the price Ukraine pays for its natural gas.

"That kind of behavior is going to continue to draw comment about the distance between Russia's behavior on something like this and what would be expected by a leader of the G-8," she said.

In an official statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was "surprised," and "completely unclear" on what Rice was basing her statements. Russia "consistently declared that whatever happened, it would carry out its full obligations for European gas deliveries," the statement said.

It said Russia was attempting to end an old "opaque" barter system of gas supply "that created numerous opportunities for abuse."

Moscow had demanded a fourfold increase in the cost of gas from Ukraine -- $230 per 1,000 cubic meters, comparable to what many countries in Europe pay.

Many in Ukraine say Russia sought the increase in an attempt to undermine Ukraine's newly pro-Western government on the eve of crucial parliamentary elections.

But Sazonov said Russia's real political interests involved Moscow's ambition to move to a market-based, commercially viable relationship with its energy clients and assure that its products have an uninterrupted supply line to the West.

"The biggest amounts of money in this country are involved in the energy sector. Entire regions depend on it in terms of their future development. And our policy is to give this sector an impulse for further growth, including with the use of ... international relations," Sazonov said.