Speaking to TASS news agency, Mr. Alexander Borodai - Vice Chairman of the Committee for Independent States of the Commonwealth (CIS), Eurasian Integration and Relations with Overseas Vietnamese - said that Kiev is in a disadvantageous position when it does not receive a financial support package worth 90 billion euros from the European Union (EU).
According to Mr. Borodai, in the context of the world's attention, especially the US, being focused on the Middle East, Ukraine is at risk of being forgotten on the geopolitical chessboard. This, according to him, may cause Kiev leaders to choose escalating steps.
Ukraine has nothing left to lose, they need to escalate at all costs. As the world focuses on the Middle East, attention to Ukraine decreases - and that is something Kiev cannot accept," Mr. Borodai said.
TurkStream is an important gas pipeline transporting Russian gas through the Black Sea to Turkey and continuing to Southeast Europe, playing a key role in the region's energy supply. Any disruption to this route could harm the already fragile European gas market.
The Russian side's warning was issued in the context that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán previously accused Ukraine of carrying out many attacks targeting TurkStream infrastructure, with the aim of cutting off Russian gas supplies to Hungary.
Not only Hungary, Slovakia also expressed a tough stance. Prime Minister Robert Fico and Prime Minister Orbán blocked the passage of a 90 billion euro "military loan" to Ukraine, and opposed the EU's 20th sanctions package against Russia.
These moves show the increasing division within Europe over how to deal with the Ukraine conflict, especially when economic and energy pressures are still weighing on many member states.
Meanwhile, Mr. Borodai's argument emphasizes that maintaining Western attention is a "life-or-death" factor for the Kiev government. According to him, the power of Ukrainian President Zelensky is closely linked to the continued conflict, thereby ensuring the flow of military and financial aid from international partners.
However, accusations from Russia have not been independently verified, and Ukraine has not yet issued an official response. Observers believe that such statements may reflect an information war in parallel with a military conflict on the ground.
However, the possibility of attacks targeting strategic energy infrastructure such as TurkStream alone is enough to increase concerns about an escalating spiral not only in Ukraine but also spreading to the entire European energy market.
