Russia to resume Ukraine gas only with EU monitors: Putin

January 18th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russia and Ukraine clinched an agreement Monday ending a protracted dispute that froze gas shipments to Europe for nearly two-weeks. Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Tymoshenko were shown on Russian television presiding over the signing of a new contract on gas prices and transits between the two states in Moscow.

January 18th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russia's energy giant Gazprom and Ukraine's energy company Naftogaz Monday signed a new contract on Russian gas supplies to Ukraine. Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Moscow and Kiev had reached agreement on all issues of gas transit and supplies.

January 17th, 2009 MOSCOW - Gazprom is preparing documents on gas supplies to Ukraine and gas transit to Europe for signing Monday, the Russian energy giant said Sunday. 'We are working to ensure that the documents are signed Monday,' Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said.

January 17th, 2009 MOSCOW - Gas supplies from Russia to Europe through Ukraine may resume soon, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Sunday after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Tymoshenko. Russian news agencies said that a deal had been reached between the two sides.

January 17th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russia and Ukraine settled their contractual dispute over gas supplies early Monday morning, bringing an end to a week-long embargo on transits to gas-starved Europe. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said in a joint televised statement they would sign a new supply contract for 2009 Monday, immediately freeing gas supplies via Ukrainian pipelines to Europe.

January 16th, 2009 BERLIN - Admitting that the ongoing gas standoff with Ukraine has damaged his country's image as a reliable supplier to Europe, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has said a solution to the crisis was in sight. 'We seem to be close to interesting agreements that may resolve the crisis,' Putin told a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel after a meeting in Berlin Friday.

January 15th, 2009 Novo-OGARYOVO - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has proposed to the European Union (EU) to set up a consortium to buy from its energy giant Gazprom the amount of gas that Ukraine says is necessary to resume transit to Europe. 'We are proposing that our European partners share the risks and set up an international consortium that could buy from Gazprom the necessary amount of gas and immediately send it to Ukraine to secure gas transit to Europe,' Putin said Thursday.

January 14th, 2009 BERLIN - The gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine demonstrates to the world the need to diversify energy supplies, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Thursday. Events of recent weeks showed how a commercial dispute could impact across Europe, Brown told a news conference after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

January 12th, 2009 BRUSSELS - The European Union (EU) launched a frantic round of telephone diplomacy with Russia and Ukraine Tuesday as the two countries blamed one another for breaking a promise to renew natural gas supplies to Europe. The Czech government, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, launched 'contacts at the highest level with all the parties' in a bid to get the gas flowing again, presidency sources said.

January 11th, 2009 BRUSSELS/MOSCOW/KIEV - The European Union (EU) expects gas supplies from Russia to resume Tuesday morning, officials in Brussels said Monday following the signing of an accord on a gas monitoring mission in Russia and Ukraine. 'The agreement has been signed by all parties.

January 11th, 2009 MOSCOW/PRAGUE/BRUSSELS - Ukraine has agreed to sign a fresh accord for monitors to measure gas flow to Europe, minus the declaration that led Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to rescind the agreement, the European Commission said Monday. The move follows phone calls by commission president Jose Barroso to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Timoshenko late Sunday night.

January 10th, 2009 MOSCOW/KIEV - Ukraine joined Russia to approve a European Union (EU) initiative for international observers to monitor Russian gas deliveries via Ukraine, raising hopes of a possible end to a Kremlin embargo on energy supplies to Europe. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko signed the deal early Sunday, Interfax news agency reported.

January 8th, 2009 BRUSSELS - Russia and Ukraine have agreed on the details of a monitoring mission designed to ensure that Russian gas destined for the European Union is not siphoned off as it travels through Ukrainian pipelines, officials in Brussels said Friday. 'There is now agreement on the details of the monitoring mission,' the European Commission said in a statement.

January 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US urged Russia and Ukraine Tuesday to end their dispute over natural gas supplies that has caused a sharp decline in shipments throughout Europe. 'Russia and Ukraine should get together, come to the table, work out the differences that exist between them in what would appear to be a commercial dispute,' State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

January 5th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russia has said it will further cut gas to Ukraine by 65 million cubic metres per day, the amount Moscow says Kiev is stealing from European clients further downstream. Gazprom cheif executive Alexei Miller Monday proposed the measure while briefing Prime Minsiter Vladimir Putin on the standoff since the company shut off supplies to Ukraine on Jan 1 over non-payments and a pricing dispute.