Russia further cuts gas supply through Ukraine
Supplies to several European Union states have been 'substantially cut,' the EU says in a statement. Talks over pricing remain stalled for a sixth day as fears of fuel shortages grow.
Reporting from Madrid and Moscow — 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.
Bulgarian authorities said 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 alternate sources in the short-run.
Entrenched haggling over the price Ukraine would pay for Russian gas this year, and how much Moscow would pay Ukraine for allowing gas to cross the 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 European exports via Ukraine, accusing the smaller neighbor of stealing the gas intended for Europe.
The European Union gets about a quarter of its natural gas from Russia. European customers first experienced a dip in supplies in 2006, when Russia turned off flows to Ukraine in another bout of price disputes. The repeated interruptions have raised anxiety across Europe about the reliability of depending upon Moscow for fuel.
Gazprom officials, who have repeatedly urged Ukraine to restart negotiations, remained defiant Tuesday. Gazprom Vice President Alexander Medvedev listed Russia as a victim 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 European-bound gas, insisting 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 Czech government, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, called the situation "completely unacceptable."
"Without prior warning and in clear contradiction with the reassurances given by the highest Russian and Ukrainian authorities to the European Union, gas supplies to some EU member states have been substantially cut," said a statement issued Tuesday. "The Czech EU presidency and the European Commission demand that gas supplies be immediately restored to the EU and that the two parties resume at once negotiations."
