Ukraine illegally tapped Europe-bound Russian gas: Gazprom

March 6th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russia may have to stop natural gas supplies to Ukraine if Kiev fails to pay in full for gas delivered in February, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Thursday. 'If the armed raids and arrests of officials (in Ukraine) result in the country's failure to pay for energy supplies, this could lead to a cutoff in deliveries for Ukrainian consumers, and possibly for consumers in Europe,' Putin said.

January 19th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russian gas was on its way to Europe Tuesday after the Russian monopoly Gazprom began pumping it into a Ukrainian transit pipeline for the first time since a nearly two-week supply blockade began. Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said in Moscow that Gazprom began the deliveries at 4 a.m.

January 19th, 2009 MOSCOW - Ukraine's gas system started receiving Russian gas for transit to Europe Tuesday, a spokesman of Russian energy giant Gazprom said. Following Sunday's talks between the two countries' premiers, Gazprom and Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz Monday signed a contract on Russian gas supplies to Ukraine for 2009-19.

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 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 15th, 2009 MOSCOW - Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine gas dispute, the heads of Gazprom and Italy's Eni have agreed to speed up the construction of the South Stream gas pipeline, the Russian energy giant has said. The South Stream project is a new pipeline under the Black Sea which will serve as another route to transit Russian gas to Europe.

January 13th, 2009 MOSCOW - Ukraine's national energy company Naftogaz refused to accept Russian gas due to be transited to Europe for the second day running, Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom said Wednesday. Gazprom said it submitted another application with Naftogaz Wednesday for the transit of 98.8 million cubic meters of gas that include 13.9 million cubic metre meant for Moldova, 62.7 million for the Balkan states, and 22.2 million for Slovakia.

January 13th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russian gas has been stolen after being pumped into Ukraine's gas transportation system, an official spokesman for Russian energy giant Gazprom has said. Under Monday's deal with the European Union (EU) and Ukraine, Gazprom Tuesday resumed pumping gas into Ukraine for transit to Europe.

January 12th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom said Tuesday Ukraine has again blocked on-shipments of Russian gas to Europe. 'This morning Gazprom began realising its plan to restore gas deliveries to Europe.

January 10th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russian energy monopoly Gazprom said Saturday that it had resumed 'to a minimal extent' gas deliveries via Ukraine after days of leaving the taps turned off over a payment dispute. The move was to be understood as a 'gesture of good will', Gazprom head Alexei Miller said Saturday in Moscow during a meeting with European energy firms, Interfax news agency reported.

January 6th, 2009 BERLIN/KIEV - Ukraine has closed down the fourth and final pipeline pumping Russian gas to Europe, Russia's energy giant Gazprom said Wednesday. Ukraine's national energy company Naftogaz said Gazprom had stopped feeding gas to Ukrainian pipes, hence it closed down its network.

January 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US Thursday urged Russia and the Ukraine to resolve their dispute over payments and debts owed for natural gas in a 'transparent, commercial manner'. In a statement issued by US Department of State acting deputy spokesman Gordon Duguid, the US said it was 'concerned' that Russia's Gazprom had cut off gas that is sold to Ukraine.

December 31st, 2008 MOSCOW - Russia's gas export monopoly Gazprom said Thursday that it has fully cut gas supplies to Ukraine but increased deliveries to Europe after last-ditch talks failed late Wednesday. 'Deliveries to Ukraine were cut in full at 10:00 a.m.

December 26th, 2008 MOSCOW - Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom has said its dispute with Ukraine over payments could cause disruptions in deliveries to Western Europe, a news agency reported. Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said that the head of the Russian gas behemoth Alexei Miller had notified Europe's largest clients that it could not rule out the possibility of a cut off, according to Itar-Tass.