The European Union on Tuesday deemed the interruption of natural gas supplies to European countries due to the dispute between Ukraine and Russia as completely unacceptable, and called on Moscow and Kyiv to urgently resume negotiations.
"Without prior warning and in stark contradiction to the guarantees provided by the highest authorities of Ukraine and Russia to the European Union, gas supplies to some member states have been significantly reduced. This situation is completely unacceptable," states a joint statement from the Czech EU presidency and the European Commission.
The presidency and the Commission requested that gas supplies to member states be "immediately restored," emphasizing that Russia and Ukraine need to continue negotiations to resolve their "bilateral trade dispute." The statement adds that the EU "will intensify dialogue with both sides to quickly reach an agreement."
On Tuesday, gas supplies from Russia to Croatia were also interrupted, and temporary measures to reduce supply for certain categories of consumers were introduced. Supplies of Russian gas to Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, and Turkey via Ukraine were also suspended on Tuesday due to the dispute between Moscow and Kyiv over gas prices, Bulgarian officials reported.
On Monday, Russia reduced gas flows to Europe via Ukraine, explaining that this measure was necessary to prevent Ukraine from siphoning off gas. Authorities in Kyiv, however, claim that this move will jeopardize gas delivery to Europe, which is facing very low temperatures. The European Union meets 40 percent of its gas needs from Russia, with 80 percent of that coming through Ukrainian pipelines. (H)
