To solve the Russia-Europe energy dispute

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In the dead of winter this year, the Russian energy company, Gazprom, cut off all gas supplies to Ukraine—sending chills through Europe. This was the third time in as many years that Russia and the former Soviet republic quarreled over gas prices, disrupting energy supplies to Europe. But this was the most serious shortage yet, with many shivering as the dispute dragged on for weeks.

At issue was the cost of gas. According to The Christian Science Monitor's coverage of the dispute, Ukraine was paying roughly $179 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) last year. Europeans, by comparison, were paying more than twice that. When Russia bumped the 2009 price up to $418 per tcm, Ukraine refused. So Russia sharply cut supplied in early January.

But more than a fight between two bickering brothers, the dispute was emblematic of a larger issue. Ukraine's push for Western-style democracy and membership in the NATO military alliance has put it on the front lines of the tense Europe-Russia relationship. In the latest gas dispute, many experts asserted that Russia was attempting to punish Ukraine for turning Westward in its efforts to establish a stable, prosperous democracy. Russia, however, countered that it's only fair that Ukraine pay the going rate.

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