Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko...
"The gas transportation system is Ukraine"s strategic facility, which will never and under no circumstances be transferred to a third party and will always belong to our state," Tymoshenko said.
Ukraine"s gas transportation system is Europe"s second largest gas pipeline network and the main route for Russian natural gas supplies to European consumers. Back in early 2000, Kiev and Moscow discussed the possibility of creating a gas transport consortium with the involvement of European partners to manage and modernize Ukraine"s Soviet-era gas pipeline network.
However, when west-leaning President Viktor Yushchenko came to power in Ukraine as a result of what is known as the "orange revolution" in 2004, the project was put on hold.
Russia has consistently tried to get a stake in the Ukrainian gas pipeline network to modernize the system and ensure uninterrupted gas supplies to Europe. Ukraine has so far resisted these attempts, saying this would jeopardize its sovereignty.