US urges Ukraine, Russia to settle gas dispute

July 21st, 2009 Ukraine tells Biden it wants US investment for gasKIEV, Ukraine — Ukraine wants American investment to help modernize its creaky but strategic natural gas pipeline system, the country's president told U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday.

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 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 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 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 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 KIEV - Ukraine's biggest opposition faction Tuesday started procedures to impeach President Viktor Yushchenko, and also called for the dismissal of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's government. 'We demand the immediate resignation of the government and the start of procedures to impeach the president,' Viktor Yanukovych, the leader of the Party of Regions, said, addressing an extraordinary session of parliament devoted to the current gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine.

January 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US government has urged Russia to immediately restore gas supply via Ukraine to the European Union (EU). 'The US welcomes the agreement brokered by the Czech presidency of the EU to enable the restoration of gas flows to European customers and provide greater transparency along the transit route,' State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Monday.

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 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.

December 31st, 2008 PRAGUE - The European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union (EU) and its Czech presidency Thursday urged both Russia and Ukraine to return to the negotiating table and reach a deal so that 'gas supplies to the EU are not affected'. 'All existing commitments to supply and transit must be honoured,' Czech Vice-Premier for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra said in a joint statement with the Commission.

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.