Date:14/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/14/stories/2009011456301400.htm

International

Ukraine blocking flow of gas, says Russia

Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW: Ukraine blocked the transit of Russian gas to Europe on Tuesday just hours after Russian state-owned gas giant Gazprom resumed gas flows.

Gazprom began pumping gas to Europe through Ukrainian pipelines at 10 a.m. Moscow time after Ukraine agreed to allow Russian and European experts to monitor the flow of gas through its territory. Gas supplies to Ukraine proper were not resumed as the sides are yet to sign a contract for 2009.

However, six hours later no gas was reaching Europe. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin informed European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso that the flow of gas was being blocked by Ukraine.

“We get the impression that Ukraine was not planning to open its network for gas transit,” said Gazprom’s deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev.He told reporters that Ukraine was also blocking access for Russian monitors to underground gas storage and pumping facilities under a trilateral gas monitoring deal mediated by the European Commission.