Russia and Ukraine's energy ministers are holding emergency talks inBrusselsas Russian gas giant Gazprom threatens to cut off deliveries to Ukraine for lack of payment.
European Union energy spokesperson Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said Monday that the EU's executive Commission will mediate between the sides in an attempt to make sure gas keeps flowing despite the dispute.
The EU imports around 40 % of its gas from Russia, half via pipelines through conflict-torn Ukraine.
Kiev and Moscow have been embroiled in numerous gas price wars and concerns are mounting that any fresh cuts in Ukraine could again hit European Union supplies.
Ukraine's state energy firm Naftogaz said Russia's Gazprom is violating the terms of an EU-backed winter gas supply agreement, ahead of talks on Monday in Brussels on the issue.
"In February, the agreement was violated by the Russian side. Gas for which we had paid in advance was not delivered in full last month. The deal is continuing to be violated this month," Naftogaz on Monday quoted its chief executive Andriy Kobolev as saying.
"This violation needs to be balanced by an increase in gas deliveries toUkrainefrom the EU," he said.
The Ukrainian Naftogaz said the implementation of a winter agreement and a preliminary discussion of a summer deal would be the main topic of the talks.
Moscow cut off supplies to Kiev last June and restored them in December in a dispute over pricing and unpaid bills that marked the third such clash in a decade.
According to the winter agreement, Kiev has to pay in advance to receive gas fromRussia. Gazprom last week warned thatUkraineneeded to prepay for future deliveries in March or it would stop supplies.
Naftogaz said on Friday it sent a small prepayment of $15 million toRussia"to calm the nerves of our European colleagues" who fear disruption in Russian gas transit shipments to Europe viaUkraine.
http://www.neurope.eu/article/brussels-emergency-talks-russian-gas-ukraine