MOSCOW AND MADRID — Russia's natural gas monopoly dramatically cut flows to Europe through Ukraine on Tuesday, sharpening fears of fuel shortages during the bitter days of winter.
Despite warnings from the European Union, a tense pricing dispute between Gazprom and Ukraine showed no signs of letting up even as gas flows dwindled. As the two sides traded accusations and blame, negotiations remained frozen for the sixth day.
Early this morning, Ukraine said Russia had halted all gas delivery to Europe through the country. There was no immediate reaction from Moscow.
Bulgarian authorities said Tuesday that two-thirds of their natural gas supply had been cut off and that consumption would be reduced to ensure provisions for key public facilities such as hospitals and schools. In a dozen other countries, governments said they could compensate with reserves or alternative sources in the short run.
Haggling over the price Ukraine would pay for Russian gas this year, and how much Moscow would pay Ukraine for allowing gas to cross its territory on pipelines bound for Europe, collapsed on New Year's Eve. Moscow first halted all gas flows to Ukraine, then began to scale back on exports to Europe via Ukraine, accusing the smaller neighbor of stealing the gas intended for elsewhere.
The European Union gets about a quarter of its natural gas from Russia. European customers also experienced a dip in supplies in 2006, when Russia turned off flows to Ukraine in a bout of price disputes. The repeated interruptions have raised anxiety across Europe about the practicality of depending on Moscow for fuel.
Gazprom officials, who have repeatedly urged Ukraine to restart negotiations, remained defiant Tuesday. Alexander Medvedev, the chief of Gazprom's export arm, listed Russia among the victims of Ukrainian misdeeds, saying, "Russia, Bulgaria and other Balkan countries have become hostage to Ukraine's unreasonable behavior."
Ukrainian officials deny siphoning off any of the Europe-bound gas, insisting that they are tapping reserves to keep the country running.
The head of Ukraine's state energy firm was expected in Moscow on Thursday for renewed talks.
The European Commission in Brussels and the government of the Czech Republic, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, called the situation "completely unacceptable."
