Russian Federation halts Ukraine gas deliveries
Russia’s gas giant Gazprom claimed they have stopped supplying gas to Ukraine due to lack of payments, but Ukraine says they have decided buy gas from Europe, Russian media reported Wednesday.
Ukraine has completely closed its airspace to Russian airlines, including overflights, according to Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk.
“Supplies are being stopped until new payments arrive from the Ukrainian company”, said Alexei Miller, the Gazprom chief.
Speaking at a cabinet session in Kyiv on November 25, Yatsenyuk asked the Infrastructure Ministry to officially notify Russia about “the closure of [Ukrainian] airspace to all Russian airlines without exception”. Ukraine is an important route for Europe’s imports of Russian gas.
He warned that Ukraine’s failure to buy more gas would create risks for onward shipment to the rest of Europe.
The European Commission said it was not anxious about the situation for now. The fighting between Russia-backed rebels and government forces in eastern Ukraine killed more than 8,000 people and left parts of Ukraine’s industrial heartland in ruins.
Kobolev stressed that Ukraine’s choice to halt Russian gas purchases was made out of “simple” economic reasons.
No new prepayment from Kyiv was received as of Wednesday morning, nor did Naftogaz requested gas deliveries, Miller was quoted by RIA Novosti news agency as saying.
The Nord Stream extension to deliver increased volumes of gas straight to Germany could have serious consequences for Kyiv and European Union nations, the letter said.
Following a blackout in Crimea prompted by an explosion that downed several electricity pylons on Ukrainian territory, the countries have traded punitive measures.
Spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said: “The European Commission has no particular concern about the gas flows from Russian Federation to Ukraine and no further comment to make”.
“For the past year and a half, we have shown that we can ensure the uninterrupted transit of Russian gas regardless of whether it comes to us or not and whether it’s in the summer or winter season”.
Gazprom suspends gas deliveries to Ukraine over Kyiv non-payment, as chief
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