Russia failed to reach a gas supply contract for restarting to transmit gas to Ukraine in the coming winter, when Russian officials met with Ukrainian officials in Brussels on Tuesday.
Focuses of dispute include: how much Ukraine should pay to Russia for gas having been consumed, when Ukraine should pay to Russia and conditions about gas transmission in the future. Some European countries concerned that would disturb the progress that Russia would supply gas to them through Ukraine.
On press conference, Günther H. Oettinger, the energy commissioner of European Union who had already host several meetings expressed that his aim was to sign final contract on the next Wednesday.
The meeting on Tuesday lasted for most of the day. Later in that day, Oettinger said that every side needed effort in the next few days. “We expect to ensure gas supply in this winter to meet the demands of European civilians.” He said.
For EU, confrontation between Russia and Ukraine is a subtle problem. One fifth of gas supplied to EU is transmitted through gas transmission pipes in Ukraine. Due to dispute occurred in Ukraine, Gazprom the Russian gas giant had ever cut off gas supply in 2006 and 2009, resulting in families in the Eastern Europe and Central Europe losing heating.
In the early of this year, Russia raised prices of gas export to Ukraine. For Ukraine defaulting huge amount of payment for goods, Gazprom stopped gas supply to Ukraine in June. However, Ukrainian accused that Russia set up unfair conditions deliberately to punish Ukrainian government in Kiev who having closer and closer relationships with the Western.
