After the Revolution

Throw that blanket back off; the second round of the Russia-Ukraine gas fights ended today.

But there is so much more to this than just a spat over a utility bill.

According to an article in the Financial Times:

[T]he Russians do not regard Ukraine as a serious independent country and the Ukrainians do not regard the Russians as trustworthy commercial counterparts…

It is about sovereignty, respect and a lack of transparency in dealing with a very large amount of money.

Also, let’s think about who’s got a stake in this. 

• Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine’s prime minister, made a fortune in the gas business. 
• Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s president-elect who takes over for Vladimir Putin in May, is Gazprom’s chairman.