Energy Prices are Big Part of Ukraine Crisis

Russia's decision to intervene in Ukraine has caused a diplomatic and military crisis. But it has also sparked an economic and energy crisis, as Russia sharply increased the price of natural gas it exports to the country and Ukraine's interim leaders have been scrambling to find new and cheaper sources.

Ukraine runs on natural gas, and its energy-inefficient homes and factories use a lot of it.

The gas comes from Russia, until recently at a bargain price.

But that changed when Ukrainians ousted their pro-Russian president in February. Russia raised the price by 40 percent.

Ukraine's new leaders have a dilemma, says energy market expert Pierre Noel of the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

"They now face the very difficult choice, perhaps the impossible choice, of having to choose between cheap gas and political submission to Russia, or expensive gas as the price to pay for their political independence," he said.

But Noel says Ukraine had been extracting a steep discount from Russia for decades because it is home to the only gas pipeline to Russia's huge market in Western Europe, and that was going to end anyway.

Russia and its customers have been working for years to build two new pipelines that will soon bypass Ukraine, eliminating the country's leverage and putting Russia in a position to charge Ukraine a premium.

That is bad news for consumers and business owners, like Kyiv restaurateur Yuri Gelfat.

"The price of gas will impact all of us," he said. "It affects heating, hot water. Higher utility payments will mean we have to increase our prices."

That may be one of the costs of energy independence.

At his nearby clothing store, Ruslan Pavlyuk takes a broader view, calling for increased efficiency and conservation, plus one other thing.

"Ukrainians have to stop crying, tighten our belts and understand that we have more fighting to do for our future," he said.

Much of the belt tightening will fall on energy-wasteful Ukrainian factories and their workers, largely in the east of the country, where pro-Russian sentiment is the strongest.

Pierre Noel says that will make it difficult for Ukraine to forge a national consensus to make the kind of painful reforms that central European countries have made.

"Ukraine is fundamentally split along political and economic lines between a part of the country that may be able and willing to go through that, and a part of the country that simply has no interest, no willingness, and simply will not do it," Noel said.

Noel says a political deal that enables the east to remain economically tied to Russia could ease the problem, and give Russia the foothold in Ukraine it appears to want, without further compromising Ukraine's sovereignty.

 

詞匯解析

bargain

難度：4星核心詞匯，屬常用3000詞

英漢解釋

n.交易；便宜貨；契約

v.討價(jià)還價(jià)；議價(jià)；(談價(jià)錢后)賣

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

If you promote our goods, we will give you a good discount as our part of the bargain.

若你方經(jīng)銷我們的貨物，我方愿給予你相當(dāng)大的優(yōu)惠作為回報(bào)。

用作動(dòng)詞 (v.)

The leaders bargained away the freedom of their people.

領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人拿人民的自由來(lái)做交易。

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steep

難度：4星核心詞匯，屬常用3000詞

英漢解釋

adj.險(xiǎn)峻的；陡峭的；（價(jià)格）過(guò)高的

v.浸泡，浸透，濕透；沉浸，籠罩

參考例句

用作形容詞 (adj.)

This hill is too steep to ride up on a bicycle.

這山太陡了，騎自行車可上不去。

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discount

難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞

英漢解釋

n.折扣；貼現(xiàn)率

vt.打折扣；貼現(xiàn)；不全信；不重視

vi.貼現(xiàn)；減息貸款

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

The preferred project in this case depends on the discount rate, not the IRR.

該例中，我們傾向選擇哪個(gè)項(xiàng)目取決于貼現(xiàn)率，而不是內(nèi)部收益率。

用作及物動(dòng)詞 (vt.)

We usually only discount acceptance trade and commercial bills.

我們通常只貼現(xiàn)已承兌的商業(yè)票據(jù)。

用作不及物動(dòng)詞 (vi.)

But you must discount only the dividends paid on existing shares.

不過(guò)你必須僅貼現(xiàn)支付給現(xiàn)有股東的股利。

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pipeline

難度：2星擴(kuò)展詞匯，屬常用10000詞

英漢解釋

n.管道；管線；渠道

v.用管道運(yùn)輸

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

Analysts have remained positive on the stock owing to the potential of the pipeline and said the share price fall due to the Avandia scare will prove to be excessive.

基于可能的渠道，分析家對(duì)其股票仍持正面評(píng)價(jià)，并稱股票價(jià)值下跌原因是對(duì)文迪雅事件的過(guò)度恐懼。

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utility

難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞

英漢解釋

n.效用；實(shí)用；公用事業(yè)（費(fèi)）；[計(jì)]應(yīng)用程序

adj.多效用的；多功能的

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

I have always doubted the utility of these conferences on disarmament.

我一直懷疑這些裁軍會(huì)議的效用。

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efficiency

難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞

英漢解釋

n.效率；功率

參考例句

用作名詞 (n.)

We must improve our efficiency as soon as possible.

我們必須盡快地提高工作效率。

Various PA linearization techniques have been adopted to improve linearity and power efficiency of wireless transmitters.

于是多種不同功率放大器的線性化技術(shù)被采用來(lái)改善無(wú)線發(fā)射機(jī)的線性度及效率。

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largely

難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞

英漢解釋

adv.大部分；主要地

參考例句

用作副詞 (adv.)

The farming area is centered largely in the south.

農(nóng)業(yè)區(qū)大部分集中在南方。

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painful

難度：3星常用詞匯，屬常用6000詞

英漢解釋

adj.痛苦的；疼痛的；費(fèi)力的

參考例句

用作形容詞 (adj.)

It was painful for him to renounce his son.

宣布與兒子脫離關(guān)系對(duì)他來(lái)說(shuō)是很痛苦的。

 

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