BRUSSELS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- European Union
officials complained on Tuesday about the lack of gas flow from Russia through
Ukraine to Europe after Russia resumed early gas supplies under a three-way deal
signed on the previous day.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso
spoke by phone to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, expressing
disappointment over the lack of natural gas flowing to Europe.
EU monitors on the ground reported that only very
little gas is flowing through the pipelines.
Russian gas monopoly Gazprom's employees
seen in Gazprom's main control room in Moscow January 13, 2009.
(Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
Barroso voiced his "disappointment with both the
level of gas flowing to Europe" and the lack of access "of our monitors to
dispatch centers," according to his aide.
Putin promised him to take a look into what he
complained.
On the same day, Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek
spoke on the phone to his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Tymoshenko about the
matter, said a press release from the Czech EU presidency.
Tymoshenko informed Topolanek, who asked about the
causes and circumstances of the delay in supplies, of some technical
difficulties, saying that more specifically the pressure of gas arriving from
the Russia is too low.
An employee walks at Russian gas export
monopoly Gazprom's Sudzha pumping station January 13, 2009.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
The Czech Prime Minister recommended her to
immediately contact the Eurogaz experts who are ready to assist Ukraine with
technical problems.
Tymoshenko promised to act on this offer.
Russia reopened taps Tuesday morning to let gas flow
to Europe via Ukraine after cutting off gas supplies to Europe on Wednesday amid
a pricing dispute with Ukraine.
General view of the gas pumping station
at Ukrainian settlement of Orlovka, about 280 km (174 miles) west of the
Black Sea port of Odessa, January 13, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
The cutoff left a number of European countries in
lack of heating gas amid freezing weather.
A worker walks at a measuring station of
the Russian gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine pipelines, in Uzhgorod,
western Ukraine, Jan. 12, 2008. The EU said on Sunday that its monitors
had already reached most of their destination points and were already
starting their monitoring work, a key condition Russia has insisted on
before resuming gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine pipelines.
(Xinhua/Ukrinform/Sergei Gudak) Photo
Gallery>>>
KIEV, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Russia is trying hard to
discredit Ukraine by sending natural gas bound for Europe on a technically
"unacceptable" transit route over Ukraine's pipeline system, Ukrainian energy
adviser Bohdan Sokolovski said on Tuesday.
"Russia shipped natural gas along a route that would
require Ukraine to cut domestic consumers out before it can deliver gas to the
Balkans," Sokolovski told reporters. Full story
MOSCOW, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Slovak and Bulgarian prime
ministers will visit Moscow on Wednesday to discuss issues surrounding gas
supplies to Europe, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.
"I have just spoken to the prime ministers of
Bulgaria and Slovakia, and we came to an agreement that tomorrow we are meeting
in Moscow in order to look at the current situation," Interfax quoted Putin as
saying. Full story
KIEV, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia
Tymoshenko said on Monday that it was up to Russia to provide "technical gas"
needed to maintain pipeline pressure and keep supplies flowing in additional to
the amounts actually due for delivery to customers in the European Union.
"Ukraine cannot unfortunately supply the gas to the
European Union" without an additional 21 million cubic meters of "technical gas"
per day from Russia, Tymoshenko told reporters during a visit to Yevpatoriya in
southern Ukraine, according to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. Full story
BRUSSELS, Jan. 12
(Xinhua) -- Russia will restore gas supply to Europe Tuesday after an
interruption of nearly a week, the European Union (EU) said Monday.
Russia had promised to start pumping natural gas again to
the 27-nation bloc via Ukraine after a deal on a monitoring mission was finally
agreed upon, said Czech Industry and Trade Minister Martin Riman, whose country
holds the EU's rotating presidency. Full story
MOSCOW, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Russia will not apply a
protocol on gas transit to its clients in the European Union until Ukraine
retrieves its additional conditions in the contract, President Dmitry Medvedev
said on Sunday.
"Such reservations and additions are nothing but mockery
of common sense and violation of earlier agreements. In fact, they aim to thwart
gas transit control," Itar-Tass news agency quoted Medvedev as saying during a
meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Full story
