BRUSSELS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Ukraine have reached an agreement on the details of a monitoring mission aimed at ensuring gas supplies to Europe, the European Commission said in a statement.
A gas valve is seen at German energy
giant E.ON's Hungarian natural gas storage facility in Hajduszoboszlo,
about 200 km (124 miles) east of Budapest Jan 7, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo) Photo
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"It is now imperative that the gas starts to flow to the European
Union without any further delay," said the commission, the executive arm of the
EU.
Ukraine agreed to allow Russian experts to join the EU mission to
monitor gas flow through the country.
Earlier, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told Czech Prime
Minister Mirek Topolanek, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, that
Moscow was ready to accept EU monitors along with officials from Russia's
state-run gas monopoly Gazprom and its Ukrainian counterpart Naftogaz.
The Czech Republic took over EU's rotating presidency in the new
year.
European monitors will arrive in the Ukrainian capital Kiev on
Friday. Naftogaz spokesman Valentyn Zemlyansky said they will tour gas pumping
stations together with Russian experts.
Russia cut gas supplies to Ukraine on Jan. 1 over a payments dispute,
and shut off gas intended for Europe via Ukraine on Wednesday.
The shutoff left thousands of European families without heating at
the height of winter, prompting EU action to broker a deal to end the row.
The EU depends on Russia for a quarter of its gas supply, the bulk of
which comes via Ukraine.
BRUSSELS,
Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union announced it has reached agreement with
Russia on supervising the flow of gas through Ukraine, paving the way for an end
to the energy crisis throughout the Europe.
Russian
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin agreed Thursday on the terms for the installation
of gas monitors in Ukraine in a surprising breakthrough after EU-sponsored talks
here broke down over the monitoring issue only hours earlier. Full
story
BRUSSELS, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Europeans
will remain without Russian gas amid freezing weather as talks brokered by the
European Union (EU) between Russia and Ukraine failed to make the two sides
agree on an international monitoring mission on Thursday.
The Czech EU presidency said it was Russian gas
monopoly Gazprom that rejected a gas monitoring plan agreed upon by both the EU
and Ukraine. Full story
BRUSSELS, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU)
reached a deal with Russia on the deployment of monitors to check gas flow via
Ukraine, paving the way for the resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe,
the Czech EU presidency said late Thursday. "The Czech
Prime Minister and the Russian Prime Minister agreed on the conditions of
deployment of the monitoring commission at all locations that are relevant for
the flow of gas," the Czech government said in a statement. Full story
MOSCOW, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) --
Russia will charge Ukraine full market price for natural gas and is prepared to
pay a market rate for gas transit via Ukraine, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
said on Thursday.
"We believe Ukraine must pay a market price and we are
ready to pay a market-based fee for gas transit," Putin told journalists at his
residence outside Moscow. Full story
BRUSSELS, Jan. 8
(Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) held emergency talks here Thursday with
Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and Ukraine's state-run gas company Naftogaz in a
bid to solve the pricing dispute between the two neighbors, which has created a
supply crisis in some EU nations.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso met
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and Naftogaz head Oleg Dubyna separately. But there
was no immediate information about the outcome of the talks.
Full story
PARIS, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- French Prime
Minister Francois Fillonon Wednesday described the cut of Russian gas supplies
to Europe via Ukraine as "totally unacceptable," saying that the move has caused
the shortage of gas supplies in Europe.
"The Prime Minister believes the current situation represents a challenge for
all of Europe ... The non-observance of contracts signed is totally
unacceptable," said a statement issued by the PM's office after a meeting on gas
supplies in France. Full story
BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Russia cut
off all natural gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine Wednesday, which has
greatly affected gas supplies to Europe.
Russia is the world's largest natural gas producer and exporter. A
major consumer of Russian gas, Europe imports one fourth of its gas needs from
Russia. Russia has built a number of pipelines delivering gas produced in
Siberia and Central Asia to Europe. Full story
PRAGUE, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- The current dispute between
Russia and Ukraine over gas supply is not a European affair, but an economic
issue between Russia and Ukraine, Czech President Vaclav Klaus said on
Wednesday.
Klaus, whose country is holding the rotating European
Union (EU) presidency, made the comments at a meeting with visiting members of
the European Commission. Full story
