Russia Halts Natural Gas Sales to Ukraine [View All]

[Clara T]

Russia Halts Natural Gas Sales to Ukraine
Sunday January 1, 2006 5:17 PM
By JIM HEINTZ
Associated Press Writer

MOSCOW (AP) - Russia's natural gas monopoly halted sales to Ukraine in a price dispute Sunday and began reducing pressure in transmission lines that also carry substantial supplies to western Europe.
Ukraine's natural gas company Naftogaz acknowledged the reduction by Russia's Gazprom.

``Gas is not flowing at all through some transit routes, which can lead to a fall in pressure in all the pipelines and limit the overall supply of gas to Ukraine and Europe,'' said Naftogaz spokesman Eduard Zaniuk.
However, he said, ``for the people and municipal services there will be enough gas.''

Gazprom had given Ukraine a deadline of midnight Saturday to agree to pay quadruple the amount it previously paid for Russian gas, which accounts for about a third of the consumption in the country of 48 million people.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5516205,00.html