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Friday, September 26, 2014

Hungary suspends gas supplies to Ukraine

Hungary's gas pipeline operator, FGSZ, says it has suspended delivery of gas to neighbouring Ukraine "indefinitely".

Ukraine has been receiving gas from Hungary, Poland and Slovakia since Russia cut off supplies to Ukraine in June in a dispute over unpaid bills.

Ukrainian state gas firm Naftogaz confirmed the stoppage, saying it was "unexpected and unexplained".

FGSZ said it had acted to raise the flow of gas to Hungary, due to an expected increase in demand.

With winter approaching fears are mounting that Ukraine will be unable to heat homes and power industry without Russian gas.

Russian and Ukrainian energy ministers are meeting in Berlin for EU-brokered talks, aimed at heading off such a crisis.

Relations between the former USSR's two biggest countries soured after the overthrow of Ukraine's pro-Russian President, Viktor Yanukovych, in February.




Russia subsequently annexed the Crimea region from Ukraine and was accused of fomenting a bloody insurrection in two of its eastern provinces.

Earlier this year Gazprom and Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of consequences if EU member states went ahead with deliveries to Ukraine to replace Russian supplies.

Russia says EU states are contractually forbidden from re-exporting gas to Ukraine while Brussels insists that such "reverse flows" are legal.

'Energy blackmail'

Hungary's move came three days after a meeting in Budapest between the head of Russian gas giant Gazprom, Alexei Miller, and Hungary's Prime Minister, Viktor Orban.

Prime Minister Orban has been critical of EU sanctions on Russia and has maintained a closer relationship with Moscow than his western European neighbours.
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller (L) and Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak wait for the start of gas talks between the EU, Russia and Ukraine in Berlin

Gazprom agreed on Friday to boost supplies to Hungary, Reuters news agency reports.

"Hungary cannot get into a situation in which, due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, it cannot access its required supply of energy," Mr Orban said on Hungarian state radio.

European Commission spokeswoman Helen Kearns said on Friday: "The message from the Commission is very clear: we expect all member states to facilitate reverse flows as agreed by the European Council

"There is nothing preventing EU companies to dispose freely of gas they have purchased from Gazprom and this includes selling this gas to customers both within the EU as well as to third countries such as Ukraine."

Naftogaz urged its "Hungarian partners to respect their contractual obligations and EU legislation".

"Neither EU countries nor Ukraine should be put under political pressure through energy blackmail," Naftogaz said on its website.

Credit to BBC

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