[GSlob]

Buy the same logic, the Ukrainians could charge Gazprom whatever they could think up as the gas transit fees. Since any alternative outlets are several years away [Baltic bypass pipeline or pipelines to China or Pacific], in the short term Putin has no choice but to settle, and would do better by doing it without an idiotic and damaging scandal. In the longer term, though, the Poles, the Ukrainians, the Hungarians and the Balts need crash coal gasification program, like South Africa did. Technology is there, and they have both coal and about 4 years to build the infrastructure.

[jb6]

Buy the same logic, the Ukrainians could charge Gazprom whatever they could think up as the gas transit fees.

Absolutely, of course that price gets passed on to the consumer, as is always the case in various supply chains in capitalist markets. That might also be the reason that the Germans and French and now the British (also the Estonians have signalled they'll probably get in to) are putting so much money into the Baltic pipeline UNDER CONSTRUCTION and to be done in 2 years.