Ukraine asks Russia for lower gas prices for winter season

[bemildred]

MOSCOW (AP) -- Emboldened by a deal with international creditors to write down part of its debt, Ukraine on Friday asked Russia for lower gas prices for the winter season.

Gas disputes between Russia and Ukraine have led to cut-offs of supply in the past, and one standoff in 2009 caused serious disruptions in gas flowing from Russia via Ukraine to the European Union.

Russia and Ukraine last year struck an emergency deal on prices through the winter. That deal has expired, however, and the sides have to hold new talks if Ukraine is to receive more Russian gas.

Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said on Friday he is convinced that Kiev and Moscow should go back to the last winter deal, which saw Ukraine pre-pay for gas but receive a sizeable discount.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_UKRAINE_RUSSIA_GAS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-08-28-06-01-34

[bemildred]

1. Ukraine, Europe agree on joint, systematic anti-Russian propaganda

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has agreed on joint and systematic anti-Russian propaganda during his recent working visit to Brussels, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin wrote on Twitter on Thursday.

One of Poroshenko's agreements in Brussels – Ukraine and the EU will jointly and systematically work to counter Russian propaganda," Klimkin tweeted.

Важливо: одна з домовленостей @poroshenko у Брюсселі - Україна та ЄС спільно і системно працюватимуть для боротьби з роспропагандою.
— Pavlo Klimkin (@PavloKlimkin) 27 Серпень 2015

http://www.unian.info/politics/1116258-ukraine-europe-agree-on-joint-systematic-anti-russian-propaganda.html

[bemildred]

2. Ukraine gets major debt relief from creditors -- except Russia

Struggling against Russia-backed separatists and a shrinking economy, Ukrainian officials said Thursday that they had secured major debt relief from the country's creditors.

Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk said at a Cabinet meeting in the capital, Kiev, that the special committee of creditors had agreed after months of negotiation to write off 20% of Ukraine's $18 billion in bonds held by the foreign lenders and to postpone the next payment deadlines on most of the rest until 2019, the Ukrinform news agency reported.

A fact sheet on the deal put out by the Ukrainian Finance Ministry and the committee of creditors said the agreement should provide Ukraine with $3.6 billion in debt relief to help close its more than $15 billion funding gap for the national budget.

The debt relief deal, reached after all-night talks, still needs the approval of creditors outside of the committee but most are expected to sign off on the terms. Russia, however, signaled that it would not be providing relief.

http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la-fg-ukraine-debt-relief-20150827-story.html

[bemildred]

3. . nt