Russia and Ukraine to meet for gas row talks [View All]

[Joanne98]

Source: Reuters


MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) - The Russian and Ukrainian prime ministers will meet in Moscow on Saturday to try to resolve a gas row that has cut back supplies to a freezing Europe.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel repeated European calls for a quick end to the two countries' arguments over gas debts and prices, saying trust in Russia could be lost.

Despite little enthusiasm in Brussels for a Moscow meeting, the European Union's executive arm said it and the Czech Republic, holder of the EU presidency, would send a delegation.

An EU-brokered deal had been supposed to get supplies of Russian gas moving to Europe via Ukraine on Tuesday despite the pricing impasse, with international monitors in place to ensure Ukraine was not siphoning off gas, as Moscow has alleged.

It failed to break the deadlock and the row continues to disrupt supplies to 18 countries, forcing factories to shut down and leaving householders shivering in bitter winter cold.



Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUKTRE5091KI20090115

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Putin to EU. I got you by the balls.