• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Putin Tells European Leaders Ukraine Debt May Affect Gas Transit

April 10, 2014
by RFE/RL

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent a letter to leaders of 18 European countries warning of a suspension of gas supplies to Ukraine if Kyiv does not pay off its $2.2 billion gas debt.

The Kremlin said on April 10 that Putin told the European leaders that the 'critical situation' over Ukraine's debt could impact the transit of Russian gas to much of Europe.

He wrote that the state-controlled energy giant Gazprom would be 'compelled to switch over to advance payment for gas deliveries' for Ukraine and that if Ukraine remains unable to settle its debt, Gazprom 'will completely or partially cease gas deliveries.'

Putin raised concerns about Ukraine siphoning off gas from pipelines leading to Europe and said Ukraine needed some 11.5 billion cubic meters of gas, worth some $5.5 billion, to fill the country's underground storage tanks.

Putin also wrote Russia is prepared to take part, along with the European Union, in efforts to restore Ukraine's economy.

But the Russian leader also said the EU's inaction regarding Ukraine's gas debt 'gives one the impression that the European partners want to unilaterally blame Russia for the consequences of Ukraine's economic crisis.'

At the same time, Putin's letter also makes reference to Russia 'subsidizing Ukraine's economy' during the last four years at a cost of billions of dollars to Russian state coffers.

According to Russian news agency Interfax, the leaders of France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Slovakia were among the recipients of Putin's letter.

Meanwhile, the EU has been discussing the possibility of reversing gas flow in Slovakia to help supply gas to Ukraine.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on April 10 that it is clear Ukraine is not able to pay its bills and he called upon a third party, 'like the European Union and European Commission' to guarantee 'Slovakia will get paid if we help Ukraine.'

Fico said Slovakia wants to help Ukraine but 'at the same time we must seek a technical solution that won't violate our own deal with Gazprom.'

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-ukraine- putin-warning-gas-shortages/25328731.html

Copyright (c) 2014. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.