Russian authorities said Monday they will cut off gas supplies to Ukraine over unpaid bills, leaving the struggling nation in a tight spot to heat homes and fuel businesses.
“Gazprom supplies to Ukraine only the amount that has been paid for, and the amount that has been paid for is zero,” said Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov in The Associated Press.
He also said that supplies will continue to be delivered to Europe, and it’s still Ukraine’s responsibility to make these supplies get there. At the same time, Gazprom did send a statement to the European Commission warning of a “possible disruption in the gas transit,” AP said. The worry is Ukraine might siphon off some of Europe’s gas supplies.
The financially struggling Ukraine has been in arrears on gas payments for some time.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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