Category: Ukraine

Onus on Ukraine to follow through on gas deals, Russian energy minister says. (UPI Photo/Sergey Starostenko) MOSCOW, Sept. 30 (UPI) — Whether or not there’s enough natural gas on hand to meet Ukrainian needs depends on the parties in Kiev, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Tuesday. Novak said a winter gas plan for Ukraine could be on its way to Russian lawmakers for consideration soon. "It all depends on Ukraine," he said. "I believe that from our side we are practically ready to do everything that we agreed on in regard to this packet. We’ll wait for a reaction from Ukraine in the next few days when everything becomes clear." Ukraine under an interim deal would pay the $3.1 billion it owes Russian energy Gazprom. Ukraine, in return, would get a price discount and assurances of adequate winter natural gas supplies. Russia sends most of its gas for […]

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Kremlin says it’s ready should agreements with European Union and Kiev falter. (UPI Photo/Sergey Starostenko) MOSCOW, Sept. 29 (UPI) — Russia is ready to respond should its Ukrainian or European Union partners renege on trilateral energy agreements, a Kremlin spokesman said Monday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Russian government is operating under guidelines spelled out last week during trilateral talks in Berlin. "Russia is guided by the agreements reached at the three-party talks, but at the same time is ready to defend its position," he said. Negotiating partners last week outlined the terms of an interim agreement that sees Ukraine paying the $3.1 billion it owes Russian energy Gazprom. Ukraine, in return, gets a price discount and assurances of adequate winter natural gas supplies. European Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said that, with both sides sparring over contracts in international courts, an interim deal is necessary for short-term energy […]

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Workers walk through Ukraine’s Dashava natural gas facility. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images) KIEV, Ukraine — The frigid water that comes out of the “hot” faucet of Alexander Korniienko’s shower in Kiev is a warning for his nation: After months without natural gas shipments from Russia, Ukraine may be facing a chilly winter. Ukrainians are layering their sweaters in preparation for yet another tough confrontation with the Kremlin, this time over energy. It is a replay of previous wintertime gas cutoffs by Russia that led to accusations that the Kremlin was using its bountiful energy supplies as a political weapon. This year, any wintertime shortfall could be far more serious for Ukrainians already contending with the dire effects of a separatist war. Korniienko has been on the vanguard of those facing the latest gas cutoff , since Kiev eliminated city-provided hot water in July as a conservation measure. Now he bathes […]

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This spring, Ukrainian billionaire Ihor Kolomoisky, the newly appointed governor of this region in the country’s southeast, called for building a 1,200-mile electric fence along the border with Russia to Continue Reading

Ukraine moved closer to resolving its monthslong dispute with Russia over natural gas Friday, as mounting economic pain at home—and pressure from Europe—increasingly force the pro-Western government in Kiev into Continue Reading

Gas deal reached during European, Ukrainian and Russian talks. (UPI Photo/Sergey Starostenko) BERLIN, Sept. 26 (UPI) — Trilateral natural gas talks Friday in Berlin have resulted in temporary relief for Ukraine, delegates at the conference confirmed. Russian, Ukrainian and European officials met in Berlin in an effort to avert a gas crisis for the upcoming winter. Russia meets about a quarter of the gas needs for Europe, though the bulk of that volume runs through the Soviet-era transit system in Ukraine. Contractual woes in 2006 and 2009 forced Russian gas company Gazprom to cut gas supplies through Ukraine and European leaders are worried about a repeat of the crisis given ongoing acrimony between Kiev and Moscow. European Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger said during August talks with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak an interim price, repayment of unpaid bills and fulfillment of transit obligations must be part of an interim […]

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AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic BERLIN (AP) — Russia and Ukraine are holding talks to solve their long-running gas dispute as pressure mounts for a solution to head off a winter supply crisis in Ukraine and beyond. Friday’s meeting in Berlin between the Russian and Ukrainian energy ministers, brokered by EU energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger, comes more than three months after Moscow cut off gas supplies to Kiev. The dispute, part of a wider conflict over Ukraine’s relations with Russia and the West, involves the price of Russian gas supplies and Kiev’s historic gas debts. A sense of urgency is beginning to mount. Much of the Russian gas supplied to EU countries passes through pipelines that cross Ukraine. "European and Ukrainian energy and gas supplies are very closely connected with each other," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said this week. "Winter is nearing, so time is pressing." Russia shut off supplies to […]

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Ukraine urged pro-Russian separatists to stop shelling government troops and start withdrawing their heavy weapons, while President Barack Obama said Russia must choose peace to have U.S. sanctions lifted. Separatists shelled government troop-held Donetsk airport and a checkpoint in the area, wounding eight servicemen, military spokesman Andriy Lysenko told reporters in Kiev today. He said Russia provided no information to Ukraine about the content of a fourth aid convoy that is on its way to the region. Russia denies U.S. and European Union allegations that it’s stoking the unrest in eastern Ukraine. NATO said yesterday Russia has embarked on a “significant” withdrawal of its forces from Ukraine, adding to signs that the truce is holding between the government in Kiev and separatist groups. The conflict, which erupted after Russia annexed Crimea in March, has killed more than 3,200 people, the United Nations estimates. Obama, in a speech today to […]

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KIEV, Ukraine, Sept. 23 (UPI) — Members of a European energy council met Tuesday in Kiev to discuss energy security challenges in the European market. Europe gets about a quarter of its gas needs met by Russia, though more than half of that runs through the Soviet-era transit system in Ukraine. Russian energy company Gazprom in 2006 and 2009 cut gas through Ukraine in response to contractual rows, and ongoing tensions in eastern Ukraine add another layer of risk to European energy security. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said energy solidarity in the European community would lead to advances in energy independence and energy security. "Ukraine will abide by the Energy Community rules and ensure uninterrupted transit of gas through its territory," he said in a statement. Ukrainian, Russian and European leaders are scheduled to meet Friday in Berlin to discuss lingering challenges to their trilateral energy ties. European […]

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