As to Gazprom, I did work very closely with several board members for an extended bit of time a few years ago and I know a few things. There are lots of honest, hard working people at Gazprom - I have also written repeatedly that Gazprom is industrially well run and is the backbone of Russia - and that the company held the country together during the 90s, but are you seriously going to tell me that there are no crooks at Gazprom (and the Kremlin), and especially near the top? In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
But in this case billions are being stolen by the Ukrainian side and what Gazprom proposes will stop this.
Ukrainians pay a real price on 35 bcm/y of gas sold by mysterious intermediary companies that get full access to Gazprom's "magistrals" (at no cost) - but Gazprom sees not one cent of that money. Who is stealing THAT money? That's what at stake today. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Ukrainians pay discount price (1/4th of real) to effectively Ukranian company. Gazprom does get transit fee, although from what I gather at 2/3 of the fee Ukraine charges.
Current Gazprom proposals eliminate this business.
