Gas Deal Eludes Russia and Ukraine, but talks will continue
The standoff between the two countries, in which Russian gas deliveries have been halted over Ukraine’s unpaid gas bill, has Europe worried about its winter supplies.
Russian and Ukrainian officials meeting on Tuesday failed to reach a deal that would restart Russian deliveries of natural gas during the coming winter.
The standoff between Russia and Ukraine is delicate for the European Union, which is reliant on the shipment of gas through Ukraine for about a fifth of its gas supplies.
Russia raised its gas prices to Ukraine early this year, and Gazprom halted exports in June because of the size of Ukraine’s outstanding bills.
Of the $3.1 billion that Ukraine was agreeing to pay toward settling its debt, an amount of $1.6 billion “is still lacking,” Alexander Novak, the Russian energy minister, told reporters.
“This cash gap requires funding,” said Mr. Novak, who suggested that the European Union “should examine the situation and share some of that burden.”
Source: NYT- Gas Deal eludes Russia and Ukraine, but talks will continue
