MOSCOW, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev said on Wednesday that Russia will compensate Ukraine if the latter
delivers gas to some European countries from its own reserve.
Russia supports the proposal of Slovakian Prime
Minister Robert Fico on the exchange of gas, in which Ukraine will deliver gas
to Slovakia from its own underground stores and Russia will compensate to
Ukraine the delivered volume of gas, local media quoted Medvedev as saying.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (L)
meets with Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller at Gorki residence near Moscow,
Russia, on Jan. 14, 2009 (Xinhua/RIA Novosti/Vladimir
Rodionov) Photo
Gallery>>>
"If Ukrainian partners accept the idea, we are ready
to implement it immediately," Interfax cited the head of state as saying during
a meeting with Fico.
He also proposed to hold a summit of Russian natural
gas consumer countries in Moscow on Saturday to address the gas issues.
Russia cut off gas supplies via Ukraine to Europe on
Jan. 7, one week after it halted gas supplies to Ukraine due to failed talks on
pricing and terms of fees.
Russian energy giant Gazprom reopened its gas taps to
Europe on Tuesday morning under a three-way agreement signed by the European
Union (EU), Ukraine and Russia, but no gas reached Europe.
Russia accused Ukraine of blocking the gas flow and
the EU also admitted that Ukraine had held up the flow to Europe, while Ukraine
argued that Russia's choice of the gas route was technically "unacceptable" as
it would require Ukraine to cut domestic consumers out before it could deliver
gas to the Balkans.
As much as a quarter of natural gas consumed in
Europe is imported from Russia, and 80 percent of it is shipped through
Ukraine.
WARSAW, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Viktor
Yushchenko said here on Wednesday that Ukraine did not take any actions aimed at
blocking the flow of Russian natural gas to Europe.
At a joint press conference with Polish President Lech
Kaczynski held after their talks here, Yushchenko also declared that Ukraine did
not illegally tap gas from pipelines. Full story
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
(R) talks during a meeting with European counterparts as Deputy Prime
Minister Igor Sechin listens at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow
January 14, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
MOSCOW, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that European countries have become hostages of
the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine.
"Our European partners have become hostages of the gas
dispute between Russia and Ukraine. But this dispute is about the terms and
pricing of gas supplies for Ukraine itself," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted
Putin as saying during a meeting with his counterparts from Bulgaria, Moldova
and Slovakia. Full story
BRUSSELS, Jan 14 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President
Jose Manuel Barroso warned on Wednesday the European Union (EU) would sue
Russian and Ukrainian gas companies if they fail to restore gas supplies to
Europe.
If Russia's Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz do not honor
their commitments under the three-way agreement to restart pumping gas to
Europe, he would advise the bloc's affected energy firms to take legal action
against them, Barroso told the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. Full story
BRUSSELS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Russia restarted pumping gas
into Ukraine's southern pipeline early on Tuesday, but Europe said it hasn't
seen any significant rise in gas flow.
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. Full story
KIEV, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is ready to send natural
gas to Europe immediately if it receives deliveries from Russia, Ukrainian Prime
Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Wednesday.
"If the gas is supplied today, it will be immediately
pumped to European countries," Tymoshenko said at a meeting with her Slovak
counterpart Robert Fico, who is in Kiev for talks on resuming gas supplies to
Europe. Full story
