BRUSSELS
European Union-brokered talks with Russia and Ukraine have resumed with Ukraine accusing Russia’s Gazprom of violating a winter gas agreement signed in October.
The meeting on Monday comes after Russia warned last week that Ukraine needed to prepay for its future gas supplies under its existing agreement or face cuts.
Andriy Kobolev, the chief executive of Ukrainian gas firm Naftogaz, said on Monday: "in February, the agreement was violated by the Russian side - gas for which we had paid in advance was not delivered in full last month."
"The deal is continuing to be violated this month."
EU energy chief Maros Sefcovic is set to meet Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Demchyshyn, on Monday afternoon in Brussels to discuss the implementation of the "Winter agreement" on gas supplies.
Growing dispute
The dispute risks creating a repetition of disruption to EU gas supplies, as happened in 2006 and 2009, if Gazprom halts gas deliveries to Ukraine this week.
Gazprom supplied gas to conflict zones in eastern Ukraine on Feb.19 after state-run Naftogaz halted supplies to the eastern part of the country.
Russian news agency TASS on Friday quoted Novak as saying Gazprom will supply natural gas directly to the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk republics, without charging Naftogaz, only if Naftogaz confirmed "in writing" its refusal to deliver gas to the regions.
"Only if there’s a written confirmation. As for now, we hear only oral statements from Naftogaz," Novak said, according to TASS.
Ukrainian gas firm Naftogaz also said on Friday it had sent a $15 million dollar prepayment to Russia.
