The Russian-Ukrainian Gas Dispute in 2005/2006

Seminar paper from the year 2010 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: Eastern Europe, grade: 1,0, University of California, San Diego (Department of Political Science), course: Introduction to International Relations, language: English, abstract: Controversies surrounding the delivery of natural gas by Russia and its transfer to Europe over the Ukrainian pipeline network have been a constant feature of Russian-Ukrainian relations. In 2009, the conflict saw a major crisis when Europe was cut off from its essential Russian gas supplies. However, an analysis of the 2005/2006 gas dispute shows how this controversy already foreshadowed many of the problems that later caused the 2009 crisis (cf. Westphal). Therefore, the following discussion will be focused on the events in 2005/2006 presenting the main actors, their interests and mutual interactions. The role of institutions, outcomes of the gas dispute, and implications for the future will also be outlined.