Ukraine, Russia: Natural Gas Politics

Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will meet in Yalta, Ukraine, for a two-day visit beginning Nov. 19. This comes as a new natural gas deal signed by the leaders was announced, and yet Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko urged the deal to be revised. The incongruous statements illustrate the political tensions leading up to the country's presidential elections in January 2010. There may be more political and energy disagreements in coming weeks; and Moscow knows that after the elections, its influence in Ukraine will almost certainly return in full force.