OREANDA-NEWS. On February 10, 2009 President Victor Yushchenko held the meeting of National Security and Defense Council. At the meeting participants were scheduled to discuss urgent measures on guaranteeing energy security of Ukraine, reported the Official website www.president.gov.ua.

“At today’s meeting we must discuss, evaluate and make conclusions out of what has happened in that field in the last few weeks”, - said Victor Yushchenko opening the meeting. “I insist that things we have witnessed, present direct threat to Ukrainian statehood”, - he added.

President Yushchenko reminded that after winter gas crisis the subject of Ukraine’s energy independence gained particular topicality and stressed that it is important to conduct detailed analysis of gas deals between Ukraine and Russia in order to minimize losses and hidden risks.

He criticized the agreements on gas supplies that were reached in Moscow reminding first of all about the fact that with the increase of the price for gas the transit fees however remained the same. “Buying Russian technological gas for current price we bear losses greater than incomes from the transit. Is it not a diplomatic paradox?” - he said.

In addition to that President Yushchenko emphasized that the agreement reached by Ukrainian Government with Russian side now obliges Ukraine to buy no less than 50 billion cubic meters of Russian gas yearly. Violation of this obligation would result in heavy fines (150 to 300 percent of the price) and re-export of this gas is also prohibited. At the same time in 2008 Ukraine has consumed 62 billion cubic meters of gas, 20 billion of them being of Ukraine’s own extraction. Together with that according to President Yushchenko beginning with 2010 Russian side has no obligations regarding volumes of gas it would transit through Ukrainian territory.

“Why was this done? Finding out that is in jurisdiction of Temporary Investigation Commission on functioning of Ukrainian gas transport system”, - said Victor Yushchenko.

President Yushchenko also suggested that those present analyzed implementation of Ukraine’s Energy Strategy and previous decisions of the NSDC (December 2005) setting energy saving strategies as priority for energy policy of the state. Here he reminded that utilization of renewable sources of energy is still no more than 0.9 percent, thus leaving our state more dependent. “I will require that energy saving was put under supervision of the Security Council”, - he said.

Continuing, President Yushchenko stressed that the Government in fact has disrupted switching Odesa-Brody pipeline into forward mode and making it work as it had been meant to, which means that Ukraine still does not have an alternative source of oil. “I am sure that Odesa-Brody project, meant to bring Caspian oil to Ukraine will work; I have no doubts about that regardless of the Prime-Minister’s personal opinion on that”, - said Victor Yushchenko.

“The subject for our today’s meeting is relevant enough to such concepts as sovereignty and independence of our state. This is not the discussion only about gas supplies, tariffs or mineral resources’ reserves. I am assured that the subject of energy independence has never been so topical”, - said President Yushchenko adding also that state of the affairs would require urgent elaboration and implementation of large set of measures.