Russian energy giant to suit Ukrainian company on gas dispute

MOSCOW, Jan. 3 (Chinese media) --

Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom will file a suit against the Ukrainian national

energy company Naftogaz Ukrainy on the allegedly gas-transit shortage to Europe

amid rows over price, local media reported on Saturday.

The arrow of a pressure gauge points to

zero at a Ukrainian gas compressor station in the village of Boyarka near

the capital Kiev Jan. 3, 2009. (Chinese media/Reuters Photo)
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"Gazprom asks the Court of Arbitration in Stockholm

to take within a maximally short period of time measures forbidding Naftogaz

Ukrainy to make any moves aimed at the reduction of transit of Russian gas to

Europe," Itar-Tass cited Gazprom sources as saying.

Russian President Dmitry

Medvedev has approved the decision, said Gazprom's CEO Alexei Miller who noted

that the planned suit was based on a 10-year contract on volumes of and terms

for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine that came into force in 2003.

Some European Union countries, such as Bulgaria,

Poland, Romania and Hungary, said that gas supplies from Russia through

pipelines in Ukraine have dropped since Gazprom cut off gas supplies to Ukraine

on Jan. 1 due to failure of price talks.

Naftogaz Ukrainy, however, said that the fall of gas

supplies to Romania, which suffers the most, was caused by "technical reasons."

Economic, political wrestling behind

Russia-Ukraine gas row

Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom's

headquarters is seen in Moscow, Jan. 3, 2009. (Chinese media/Reuters

Photo)
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Gallery

BEIJING, Jan. 3 (Chinese media) -- Russia's suspension of gas supplies to Ukraine has

entered the third day with no settlement in sight. Some European countries have

begun to be affected by a gas shortfall.

On Friday, Russia's state gas monopoly Gazprom accused

Ukraine of "stealing" gas in transit. Ukrainian officials denied the accusation,

saying that they are withdrawing only enough gas to operate pumping stations

serving the pipelines.

Ukraine warns EU of serious gas

shortfall in near future



KIEV, Jan. 3 (Chinese media) -- Ukraine warned on Saturday the European Union (EU) that

the bloc could face serious gas shortfall in around 10 days if the gas row

between Russia and Ukraine is not resolved.

"If the Russian side does not provide more gas (to EU

member states) than at the moment, then in around 10 days there could be very

serious technical problems," President Viktor Yushchenko's representative on

energy security Bogdan Sokolovski told a news conference.

Romania's gas supply not to be

affected by dispute between Ukraine, Russia:

FM

BUCHAREST, Jan. 3

(Chinese media) -- Romania's supply with gas imported from Russia will not be affected

by the problem existing between Kiev and Moscow, Romanian Foreign Minister

Cristian Diaconescu told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Ogryzko in a

telephone conversation on Saturday.

According to a press release issued by the Romanian

Foreign Ministry, Ogryzko assured Diaconescu that Romania would have to bear no

consequences following this situation. He said he wanted Romania's support for a

European mission to come to Kiev in order to evaluate the problem of gas supply.



Russian gas supply to Bulgaria

reduces

SOFIA, Jan. 3

(Chinese media) -- The CEO of Bulgarian gas supplier "Bulgargaz" Dimiter Gogov said

Russian natural gas supply to Bulgaria went down Saturday but has not yet

reached a critical low point, according to local press report.

"The pressure in the pipe has gone

down and since Saturday morning we receive lower quantities of natural gas,"

Gogov said.

EU calls for immediate resumption of

gas deliveries

BRUSSELS, Jan. 2

(Chinese media) -- The European Union (EU) called on Friday for immediate resumption of

full deliveries of gas to its member states after Hungary and Poland suffered

reduced supplies due to Russia's dispute with Ukraine.

"The European Union calls for an urgent solution to the

commercial dispute on gas supplies from the Russian Federation to Ukraine and

for an immediate resumption of full deliveries of gas to the EU member states,"

the Czech government, which assumed the EU presidency in the new year, said in a

statement.

Ukrainian president: Gas dispute with

Russia will be settled soon

KIEV,

Jan. 1 (Chinese media) -- Gas dispute with Russia will be settled by Jan.7, Ukrainian

President Viktor Yushchenko said in a statement Thursday.



"I think that we are close to a compromise and I ask

the Russian president, the Russian prime minister and Ukrainian negotiators ...

to do all they can so the talks can be completed as soon as possible."

Russia cuts off gas supplies to Ukraine

MOSCOW, Jan. 1 (Chinese media) -- Russia's state gas monopoly

Gazprom cut all natural gas supplies to Ukraine on Thursday morning after talks

broke down over payments for past shipments and a new energy price contract for

2009, a company spokesman said.

"Gas supplies have been completely cut as of 10:00 a.m.

(0700 GMT) today," spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said at a press conference.

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