Ukraine-Russia Gas Talks Fail

摘要

There will be no new gas contract for Ukraine with supplier Russia before the end of the year, Alexei Miller, chief of Russian state export monopoly Gazprom, told journalists. The Russians have made clear that Kiev will get cheaper gas if it gives Moscow access to Ukraine’s gas transit system, something the Ukrainians have so far refused to do. Yet Ukraine sided with Russia in resisting separation between suppliers and carriers at what turned out to be a failed EU summit on Dec. 19 and left the summit with fewer bargaining chips to take back to negotiations with Moscow.