Category: Ukraine

NATO released satellite photographs on Thursday showing Russian military equipment, including fighter jets and tanks, that it described as part of a deployment of as many as 40,000 troops near the border with Ukraine . The release came the same day that President Vladimir V. Putin reiterated a threat to curtail gas sales to Ukraine. The photographs , taken by a commercial satellite imaging company called DigitalGlobe, offered some of the first documentary evidence of a military buildup that the West says Russia could use to invade Ukraine at any moment. They were released at a news conference in Belgium by Brig. Gary Deakin, the director of NATO’s Comprehensive Crisis and Operations Management Center. The Kremlin has accused the West of exaggerating Russia’s military presence along the Ukrainian border and has insisted that it has no plans for a second military incursion after its lightning-quick occupation […]

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Vladimir Putin warned that Russia was poised to halt gas supplies to Ukraine – placing European customers in jeopardy – unless immediate action was taken to resolve Kiev’s unpaid bills. In a letter to European leaders , the Russian president said state-controlled had a contractual right to force Ukraine to pay in advance for gas supplies, and would “completely or partially cease gas deliveries” if further payment violations occurred. The letter is the first time Moscow has so clearly threatened to cut gas supplies to Ukraine , a key transit route for 15 per cent of European gas. Kiev on Friday announced it had signed a contract with Westinghouse Electric Company, based in the US, to extend the supply of nuclear fuel to Ukraine’s 15 atomic power plants until 2020, thereby reducing the country’s dependence on Russian sources. It came as Kiev was still locked in a stand-off […]

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Russian President Vladimir Putin warned leaders in Europe on Thursday that Russia could cut supplies of natural gas to Ukraine if its unpaid bill isn’t addressed, potentially disrupting deliveries to the rest of the continent. In a letter sent to leaders in countries reliant on Russian gas, Mr. Putin ramped up pressure on the fledgling government in Kiev, repeating his threat that Russia may have to take the "extreme measure" of making Ukraine pays in advance for the gas it uses. He called for emergency talks with Europe to resolve the matter. "In the event of further violation of the conditions of payment, [state-run gas company Gazprom] will completely or partially cease gas deliveries," the letter stated. "We fully realize that this increases the risk of siphoning off natural gas passing through Ukraine’s territory and heading to European consumers. We […]

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Ukraine’s top police official gave a 48-hour deadline to separatists who have occupied the regional government building  in Donetsk Wednesday, as activists in the eastern city continued to dig in and expand their makeshift defenses and arsenals. Donetsk’s regional governor, meanwhile, sounded a more conciliatory note after meeting for talks with leaders of the separatists for more than two hours. As crowds of at least 1,000 massed throughout the day outside the administration building in the center of the city, the comments by acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov appeared to deepen the resolve of the scores of masked, camouflaged men roaming the building and its exterior — many wearing orange construction helmets, carrying makeshift clubs and hospital surgical masks. Speaking at a government meeting in Kyiv, Avakov said “antiterrorist operations" were underway in Donetsk and two other regions that have seen pro-Russian activists seize government buildings. […]

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The Ukrainian government won’t bow to pressure from the Kremlin by accepting a rise in natural gas prices, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said. Russian energy company Gazprom said Ukraine has accumulated around $1.7 billion in gas debt and a discounted price for natural gas, secured in December, no longer applied. Yatsenyuk said his government was ready to make "all payments" for previous gas supplies from Russia, adding increased prices were unacceptable. "Ukraine is ready to continue buying natural gas at the price that was in effect since the beginning of the year — $268 [per 1,000 cubic meters]," he said Saturday. "This is an acceptable and balanced price." Gazprom in 2009 cut gas supplies to Ukraine in response to contractual disputes. The deal that ended the impasse left Ukraine with some of the highest gas bills in Europe and sparked concerns about energy security in the region. European consumers […]

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The Ukrainian government won’t bow to pressure from the Kremlin by accepting a rise in natural gas prices, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said. Russian energy company Gazprom said Ukraine has accumulated around $1.7 billion in gas debt and a discounted price for natural gas, secured in December, no longer applied. Yatsenyuk said his government was ready to make "all payments" for previous gas supplies from Russia, adding increased prices were unacceptable. "Ukraine is ready to continue buying natural gas at the price that was in effect since the beginning of the year — $268 [per 1,000 cubic meters]," he said Saturday. "This is an acceptable and balanced price." Gazprom in 2009 cut gas supplies to Ukraine in response to contractual disputes. The deal that ended the impasse left Ukraine with some of the highest gas bills in Europe and sparked concerns about energy security in the region. European consumers […]

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The European Union’s energy chief, Günther Oettinger, has hastily convened two meetings for Tuesday to discuss growing concerns in Brussels about potential disruption of gas supplies to Ukraine. Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuri Prodan will attend a roundtable on energy security on Tuesday, alongside representatives from the gas industry and Eurogas, a body representing European gas companies. Mr. Oettinger, who will chair the talks, called the meeting to look at ways to help Ukraine meet its gas needs, a European Commission official said. On the same day, Mr. Oettinger is also convening a meeting of the Gas Coordination Group, composed of officials from the bloc’s member states, gas network operators and other industry representatives. The Gas Coordination Group usually meets a few times a year, though the next scheduled meeting hadn’t been due to take place before the end of May. "We’re all under a lot of time pressure," the […]

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A U.S.-based energy company and Ukraine are on the verge of signing a deal that would lessen Russia’s influence and give the West greater leverage on the former Soviet republic. Westinghouse Electric Co. of Pennsylvania said on Thursday it is in negotiations to extend its contract with Ukraine energy operator Energoatom to supply nuclear fuel for reactors, a deal that would bolster the country’s commitment to long-term cooperation with the West. The talks come after the administration has extended the welcome mat to the interim Ukraine government as Kiev looks to strike deals with Western partners. In March, Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk met with President Barack Obama before meeting with Westinghouse officials in Pennsylvania. "Westinghouse is currently in discussions with Energoatom to agree on an amended fuel supply contract," Westinghouse spokesman Hans Korteweg said. Ilona Zayets, a spokeswoman for state-owned Energoatom, said the two sides are in final […]

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Russian energy company Gazprom said Tuesday it would raise by $100 per 1,000 cubic meters the amount it would charge Ukraine for natural gas. Ukraine in December secured a 30 percent discount for the amount of gas delivered by Gazprom. The company’s chief executive officer, Alexei Miller , said Tuesday the discount no longer applied and Ukraine could be charged another $100 per 1,000 cubic meters, the standard purchase volume. "In line with the current contract on delivering gas, the price for Ukraine in the second quarter [of 2014] will be $385.50," he said . Gazprom in 2009 cut gas supplies to Ukraine because of contractual disputes. Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said the economy is in ruins, though Gazprom said Kiev still has around $1.7 billion in unpaid gas debts. European consumers get about a quarter of their gas needs met by Gazprom, though […]

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