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Ukraine accused of stealing gas Ukraine accused of stealing gas
(40 minutes later)
Russian gas giant Gazprom has accused Ukraine of stealing gas meant for other European countries.Russian gas giant Gazprom has accused Ukraine of stealing gas meant for other European countries.
"The Ukrainian side openly admits it is stealing gas and has no shame about it," company spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said."The Ukrainian side openly admits it is stealing gas and has no shame about it," company spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said.
The accusation came after Russia ceased shipments of gas to Ukraine on Thursday amid a row over payments and prices.The accusation came after Russia ceased shipments of gas to Ukraine on Thursday amid a row over payments and prices.
Ukraine has insisted it will not interfere with gas transported from Russia to Europe through its pipelines. Ukraine's state gas company denied illegally siphoning Russian gas, saying it was ensuring the export supply.
Ukraine denied it was illegally siphoning Russian gas, but said it was using some gas technically needed to ensure the transit across its territory, the AFP news agency reported. Ukraine has insisted it will not interfere with gas transported from Russia to other states via its pipelines.
"We are not stealing gas. We are removing gas for technical purposes, in order to ensure the transit of Russian exports," the agency quoted Valentin Zemlyansky, spokesman for Ukraine's state gas company Naftogaz, as saying. EU countries have not reported any reduction in gas deliveries via Ukraine.
Naftogaz had earlier said it was diverting some gas to maintain pressure in the pipeline network. href="/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/europe_enl_1136301170/html/1.stm" onClick="window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/europe_enl_1136301170/html/1.stm', '1136301206', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=600,height=440,left=312,top=100'); return false;">Europe's gas pipeline network href="javascript: void window.open('http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/europe_enl_1136301170/html/1.stm', '1136301206', 'toolbar=0,scrollbars=0,location=0,statusbar=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,width=600,height=440,left=312,top=100');" >Enlarge Map
Valentin Zemlyansky, a spokesman for Ukraine's state gas company Naftogaz, told AFP news agency in Kiev that his country was "not stealing gas".
"We are removing gas for technical purposes, in order to ensure the transit of Russian exports," he said.
Naftogaz said earlier it was diverting some gas to maintain pressure in the pipeline network.
Ferran Tarradellas, spokesman for EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, told AFP that volumes of gas received were still normal as of Friday morning.
Pipes across Ukraine carry about a fifth of the EU's gas needs. A similar row between Gazprom and Ukraine at the beginning of 2006 led to gas shortages in several EU countries.
The EU has urged Russia and Ukraine to resume negotiations and not to let the dispute disrupt supplies to Europe.
"But at the moment we do believe it is a bilateral problem and is going to be solved by those two companies or their governments," said a spokesman for the Czech Republic, the current holders of the EU presidency.
"We are not going to interfere until the moment when the pressure of gas will reach some low limits," he added.