This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/10/world/europe/russia-and-ukraine-to-meet-on-natural-gas-pricing-dispute.html
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Russia and Ukraine Meet on Natural Gas Pricing Dispute | Russia and Ukraine Meet on Natural Gas Pricing Dispute |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| BRUSSELS — Russian and Ukrainian officials failed to reach a solution early Tuesday to a dispute over energy that has exacerbated tensions and led to concerns about cutoffs of natural gas to the European Union. | BRUSSELS — Russian and Ukrainian officials failed to reach a solution early Tuesday to a dispute over energy that has exacerbated tensions and led to concerns about cutoffs of natural gas to the European Union. |
| The talks here, under the aegis of the European Commission, were intended to push the two sides to reach an agreement on how much Ukraine should pay Russia for gas already consumed and for future consumption. | The talks here, under the aegis of the European Commission, were intended to push the two sides to reach an agreement on how much Ukraine should pay Russia for gas already consumed and for future consumption. |
| “We have some open questions and some different positions — ongoing different positions — but we agreed to continue to negotiate,” Günther Oettinger, the European Union’s energy commissioner, said at an early morning news conference. | “We have some open questions and some different positions — ongoing different positions — but we agreed to continue to negotiate,” Günther Oettinger, the European Union’s energy commissioner, said at an early morning news conference. |
| Further talks will be held Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, Mr. Oettinger said. | Further talks will be held Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, Mr. Oettinger said. |
| The meeting between Russia’s energy minister, Alexander Novak, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Yuri Prodan, was the fifth since talks began in early May after Gazprom, the Russian state-controlled energy giant, raised the price of gas to Ukraine by 80 percent in March and threatened to cut off supplies if it did not pay up. | The meeting between Russia’s energy minister, Alexander Novak, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Yuri Prodan, was the fifth since talks began in early May after Gazprom, the Russian state-controlled energy giant, raised the price of gas to Ukraine by 80 percent in March and threatened to cut off supplies if it did not pay up. |
| The price had risen after Russia annexed Crimea and imposed an export tariff that had been waived as a form of payment for the lease of the Black Sea fleet there. In response to the re-imposition of the export tariff, Ukraine ceased all payments on its natural gas bills, prompting Gazprom to threaten to cut off all domestic shipments. | The price had risen after Russia annexed Crimea and imposed an export tariff that had been waived as a form of payment for the lease of the Black Sea fleet there. In response to the re-imposition of the export tariff, Ukraine ceased all payments on its natural gas bills, prompting Gazprom to threaten to cut off all domestic shipments. |
| Ukraine has since paid Russia at least $786 million to cover gas delivered in February and March. | Ukraine has since paid Russia at least $786 million to cover gas delivered in February and March. |
| But Ukraine and the Ukrainian gas utility, Naftogaz, still must work out a repayment program for some gas delivered late last year, and to work out a new price from April onward. | But Ukraine and the Ukrainian gas utility, Naftogaz, still must work out a repayment program for some gas delivered late last year, and to work out a new price from April onward. |
| The gas dispute is an important matter for Europe, which has experienced energy shortfalls at least twice in the past decade as a result of disagreements between Ukraine and Russia. The European Union relies on Russia for about a third of its natural gas, and a significant proportion of that energy is delivered through pipelines that run through Ukraine. |