“Our trust was undermined by the fact that, unexpectedly for us, the construction continues for a long time, which is difficult to explain,” he stressed. “In order to make progress in the implementation of any project, trust is needed, above all. It is impossible to live in two dimensions simultaneously: economic cooperation and serious disagreement on political issues,” Mr. Grishchenko said.

Talks between Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers are scheduled for Wednesday in Kiev. At a meeting on October 30, also in Kiev, the ministers decided to set up working groups to prepare a bilateral agreement on cooperation in the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait in shipping, fishing, the use of natural resources, environmental research etc. An agreement has also been reached to speed up the carrying out of a joint environmental inspection regarding the situation in the Kerch Strait.

The first meeting of the Ukrainian-Russian ecological commission to assess the environmental aspects of the causeway construction in the Kerch Strait is scheduled for November 8.

Russia and Ukraine have not been able to agree on the status of the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait for about ten years. Russia suggested treating them as internal waters. Meanwhile, Ukraine took control of the Kerch Strait, linking the Black Sea and the Azov Sea, and charges more than $15m a year for the passage of Russian ships. So, Russian shipping companies have paid about $170m to Kiev. Also at stake are 120 prospective oil and gas deposits on the shelf on the Azov Sea, which contain an estimated 150-200m tons of hydrocarbons. In this respect, the small island of Tuzla is a real treasure island.