Federico Bordonaro

Berlin fears that Ukraine’s rapprochement with Europe and NATO will strain relations with Moscow.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Germany’s Foreign Minister, also adds a provocative question:
“If you say Yes to Ukraine, what do we do in Moldova or in Georgia? Where does it begin, and where will it end? Can you restrict it to Ukraine?”

Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukraine has been a high priority for German foreign policy. Russia has never come to terms with the idea of the country being independent – Vladimir Putin, then Russian president, said as much when he attended last year’s Nato summit in Bucharest. It is a vital conduit for 80 per cent of Europe’s natural gas supplies from Russia, as last month’s total shutdown of the transit pipes demonstrated.

Berlin wants stability in Ukraine, to avoid creating the grounds for any unnecessary conflict with Moscow. Russia wants a compliant government in Kiev that does not talk about joining Nato and does not control the transit routes for Russia’s gas supplies to Europe.

Mr Steinmeier’s concern, however, is that instead there is “complete deadlock” in the Ukrainian political process with the stand-off between the president, Viktor Yushchenko, and the premier, Yulia Tymoshenko.

It undermines attempts to draft a recovery programme in the face of a collapse in gross domestic product – down 20 per cent in the 12 months to January.