Russian media crow over EU "defeat"

Russian newspapers are almost unanimous in declaring that yesterday's EU joint statement on the crisis in Georgia was a "victory" for Russia, as the statement failed to include a call for economic sanctions. Tvoi Den's headline reads: "Europe to go on sucking our oil and gas - European leaders didn't risk turning their backs on Russia''s energy carriers." The paper calls the line taken by Britain and Poland "hysterical". Izvestia considers that several European countries don't want a serious and protracted dispute with Moscow, and a survey of the British press claims to show that opinion within the U.K. is divided, special attention being focused on an article by political analyst Anatol Lieven published in the Times newspaper. Kommersant sees the result of the EU meeting as a victory for Russian diplomacy, and points to the fact that Europe is to be given a warning in the shape of Gazprom's decision to turn off the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline for "repairs" from today until September 4.