CPS members met with Jaroslav Bashta, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic in Ukraine to discuss current relations between Ukraine and the EU.

Czech Republic started its Presidency in the EU in the circumstances of the most severe energy crisis in decades. Over the gas dispute between Ukraine and Russian Federation many European did not enjoy the aftermath of winter holidays this year.

Jaroslav Bashta restated the opinion voiced earlier by the European Commission President Jose Barroso, who said that the EU can not be certain in both Russia as gas exporter and Ukraine as transit country. He mentioned that perhaps both sides of the gas dispute were preparing for the crisis in advance with Ukraine filling its undersurface gas reserves and Russia planning to support its plans for alternative pipelines. Ambassador doubted that the northern pipeline could be built in years and said that the southern pipeline project could more likely become a reality.

H.E. also compared the recent crisis with the conflict in Georgia, mentioning that the dynamics of EU's position was different in the two crises. In the first one, the EU supported Georgia at once, but than gradually changed the position. In the gas conflict the EU's position was strict at once, since its vital interests were at stake.