WSJ: Russia, Ukraine Gas Price Could Come Soon, EU Official Says
A provisional price for Russian natural gas could be negotiated with Ukraine by the end of the month in a bid to avert a potential disruption of gas supplies, the European Union’s energy chief said Wednesday.
Günther Oettinger, who is acting as intermediary in the gas dispute between Russian and Ukraine, said three-way talks could go down to the wire and even continue past May 31, the date by which Moscow has demanded advance payment from Kiev for the following month’s gas consumption.
“We still have two weeks to avoid [Russians turning off the gas taps],” he said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “And if that looks like it could happen on May 31, we won’t stick our head in the sand, we’ll continue the talks.”