Ukrainian politicians accuse Romania's territorial claims and its gherilla economic war  

The new territorial divergences between Ukraine and Romania is quick to gain the character of an international conflict: recently, Kiev brough the question to the EU, Nezavisimaia Gazeta reads. Ukrainian experts doubt that the endeavour will be successful, considering the Bucharest’s active role in the Eastern European policy set by the EU and the obvious support of Washington.

This is why, the only ally behind Ukraine might remain Russia. Earlier last year, Ukraine lost at the Hague Court of Justice a territorial claim against Romania. The trial concerned the continental plateau of the Blak Sea and Bucharest received 80% of the territorial claim.

At the time, Ukraine declared that the decision was not fair. This spring, diplomatic sources announced that Bucharest claims the small Maikan island on the Danube, between CHilia and Vilkovo. It was explained that the state boundary is set on the middle line of the river flow, if parties cannot reach a solution.

At the time authorities signed the borderline documents, the line passed in between the Romanian Babin island and the Ukrainian Maikan island. However, in the last years, the river’s bed modified and ships were compelled to bypass the Ukrainian Maikan island on the other side, closer to the Ukrainian bed.

Thus, Romanians proposed to modify the borderline, which would mean that the Ukrainians will lose the Maikan island. Ukrainian deputy Ghennadi Zadirko declared that Romania needs the navigation channel, not the island.

The Ukrainian government reacted fermly and said that Ukraine does not plan to modify the state boundery. In April, there were diplomatic negotiations between Romania and Ukraine. Ukrainian minister Konstantin Grisschenko declared that the Romanian party was announced that Ukraine will involve the EU in this problem.

However, things are not resolved yet. Romania started to act on Ukraine on the basis of an economy guerilla war, the paper reads. According to the Ukrainian emergency situation ministry, in May – June Romania corrected the level of the water by destroying some Romanian dams which caused the Danube to flood Ukrainian territories.

Vitali Kulik, a local expert declared that there is a third party, directly interested in the way bilateral relations between Romania and Ukraine develop but he refused to name the third interested party. Ukrainian experts claim that their country is dragged into a new geopolitical game, where the main players are the US and Russia.