Ukraine told it must pay up front for Russian gas
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UKRAINE must pay in advance for Russian gas supplies from next month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday, raising pressure on the struggling neighbor as Moscow voiced dismay over Ukraine’s reluctance to implement an international peace plan.
Putin said in a letter to European leaders that Ukraine’s debt for Russian gas supplies has reached US$3.5 billion, and because of its refusal to pay Moscow, it will have to switch to pre-paid gas deliveries starting from June 1.
Putin first warned of the move in April in a letter to European leaders, whose nations are customers of Russian state-controlled Gazprom natural gas giant. Ukraine serves as a major conduit for Russian gas supplies to Europe.
Ukraine says it would pay if Moscow restores the price discounts canceled after the toppling of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in February after months of protests.
Russia denounced Yanukovych’s ousting as a coup and sent its troops to take over Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which it annexed.
After a referendum Sunday, pro-Russia rebels in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions declared independence.
Moscow supported a Swiss-brokered peace plan, which calls for an end to hostilities, an amnesty for rebels and nationwide dialogue. Ukraine has remained cool on the initiative, saying it fails to require any Russian action.
The first session of a round table intended to jumpstart dialogue was held in Kiev Wednesday, but the government refused to invite representatives of the insurgents, saying it wouldn’t talk to “terrorists.”
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