Moscow, Kyiv in Blame Game Over Europe’s Energy Shortfall

Flows of Russian gas to four European Union countries were below normal levels on Saturday following Moscow’s decision to cut off supplies to Ukraine in a pricing dispute on January 1. Gasprom, meanwhile, has accused Ukraine of dragging its feet in the negotiations over disputed gas contracts and no talks were in sight to resolve the matter.

Russia’s state-run natural gas firm, Gazprom, is accusing Ukraine of stealing gas intended for Europe, after Russia cut off supplies to Ukraine.
Gazprom deputy chief Alexander Medvedev spoke to reporters in Prague today, repeating an earlier claim that Ukraine is siphoning off some 35 million cubic meters of Russian gas each day. He also criticized Kyiv for failing to send negotiators to Moscow, saying the situation was “absolutely unacceptable”.

Medvedev also said Gazprom was ready to fulfill its commitments to the European Union, and urged Ukraine to fulfill its commitments as a transit country.

Europe gets a fifth of its has from pipelines across Ukraine. Some European Union members, such as Hungary and Romania, said they were feeling the impact. Bulgaria’s Bulgargaz operator joined energy firms in Poland, Romania and Hungary in saying they had noted falls in supply, although gas flows to Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, were not affected. The EU said it would call a crisis meeting in Brussels on Monday.

Voice of America