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Kyiv's gas worries and a new parliament speaker
Summary
Two developments from early October 2021 framed Ukraine's political agenda: concern over Russian leverage and a change at the head of parliament.
What was shaping Ukraine's politics on 14 October 2021? Two recent developments set the tone.
On 12 October 2021, the European Union vowed to help Ukraine with its gas supplies. President Volodymyr Zelensky had underlined his concern about potential Russian political leverage in the region, following the agreement with Germany on the Nord Stream pipeline. The EU pledge came in direct response to that concern.
A few days earlier, on 8 October 2021, the Verkhovna Rada elected Ruslan Stefanchuk as head of parliament.
Taken together, the two items show a Kyiv dealing with an external pressure point, energy supply, while its legislature settled its leadership. The pledge of EU help gave Ukrainian officials a public assurance on gas, while the Nord Stream agreement remained the source of Kyiv's unease about Russian influence.
