European Union energy ministers will meet on Monday to discuss how to loosen Russia's gas stranglehold over Europe and what can be done to prevent any future repetition of this winter's energy crisis as millions of people continue to freeze. Deep divisions are expected to surface over a decision by Slovakia to reactivate a Soviet-era nuclear power plant to tackle the crisis, a move that would in breach of the country's EU membership conditions.Ed Miliband, the Energy and Environment Secretary, will hear the latest news on the Russia-Ukraine gas crisis which dragged on yesterday as some EU countries entered the fifth day without supplies. "This is an opportunity to avoid a repetition of the latest crisis by looking at what can be done to reduce the EU's dependency in the medium and long term," said a British diplomat.
Deep divisions are expected to surface over a decision by Slovakia to reactivate a Soviet-era nuclear power plant to tackle the crisis, a move that would in breach of the country's EU membership conditions.
Ed Miliband, the Energy and Environment Secretary, will hear the latest news on the Russia-Ukraine gas crisis which dragged on yesterday as some EU countries entered the fifth day without supplies.
"This is an opportunity to avoid a repetition of the latest crisis by looking at what can be done to reduce the EU's dependency in the medium and long term," said a British diplomat.
EU says conditions have been met for Moscow to lift its blockade over gas supplies through Ukranian pipelines. The bloc's ministers want to develop other energy sources to reduce their dependance on Russia. European Union energy ministers planned Monday to call on Russia to resume gas supplies to Europe during an emergency meeting in Brussels. "The ministers will call on Russia to restore the gas supplies," the meeting's host, Czech Energy Minister Martin Riman, said on behalf of the bloc's presidency. Since all of the conditions set by Moscow have been fulfilled, "Russia has no reason not to restore the gas supplies immediately," Riman told journalists ahead of the meeting. Monday afternoon's talks are designed to shape "concrete measures" needed by the bloc to deal with the gas shortages, provoked by Russia blocking all supplies destined for Europe via Ukrainian pipelines.
European Union energy ministers planned Monday to call on Russia to resume gas supplies to Europe during an emergency meeting in Brussels.
"The ministers will call on Russia to restore the gas supplies," the meeting's host, Czech Energy Minister Martin Riman, said on behalf of the bloc's presidency.
Since all of the conditions set by Moscow have been fulfilled, "Russia has no reason not to restore the gas supplies immediately," Riman told journalists ahead of the meeting.
Monday afternoon's talks are designed to shape "concrete measures" needed by the bloc to deal with the gas shortages, provoked by Russia blocking all supplies destined for Europe via Ukrainian pipelines.
In a flurry of shuttle diplomacy over the weekend, the Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolanek, secured the signature of Russia's prime minister, Vladimir V. Putin, in Moscow and then flew to Kiev, where Ukraine's prime minister, Yulia V. Tymoshenko, also signed the agreement. Yet by late Sunday, the off-again-on-again deal appeared to be off again. Russia's president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying he would not honor the pact. At issue was a handwritten phrase that Ms. Tymoshenko wrote beside her signature early Sunday morning, after the document had already been signed by Mr. Putin. In English, she wrote, "with declaration attached." Ms. Tymoshenko's declaration, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times, said that Ukraine had not been guilty of stealing gas from the export pipelines, a statement essentially asking Moscow to backpedal on the allegation that had underpinned its justification for halting shipments to Europe.
In a flurry of shuttle diplomacy over the weekend, the Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolanek, secured the signature of Russia's prime minister, Vladimir V. Putin, in Moscow and then flew to Kiev, where Ukraine's prime minister, Yulia V. Tymoshenko, also signed the agreement.
Yet by late Sunday, the off-again-on-again deal appeared to be off again. Russia's president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying he would not honor the pact.
At issue was a handwritten phrase that Ms. Tymoshenko wrote beside her signature early Sunday morning, after the document had already been signed by Mr. Putin. In English, she wrote, "with declaration attached."
Ms. Tymoshenko's declaration, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times, said that Ukraine had not been guilty of stealing gas from the export pipelines, a statement essentially asking Moscow to backpedal on the allegation that had underpinned its justification for halting shipments to Europe.
The dispute between Russia and Ukraine seems to have been resolved, but the question of blame remains. Did Moscow deliberately risk allowing half of Europe to go without heat merely to teach Kiev a lesson? Whoever is to blame it is clear that neither Brussels nor Berlin did much over the past few years to avert the crisis. Oleg Dubina, 49, the chairman of the Ukrainian state-owned energy company Naftogaz, looks like he has been up all night. With deep rings under his hooded eyes, he sits in conference room ASP 5G3 at the European Parliament in Brussels. Dubina is considered the most adept crisis manager in the former Soviet republic. When he flew to Brussels via Moscow last Thursday his most important, and no less cunning, opponent in the current game of poker over natural gas in Europe was sitting only a few seats away: Alexei Miller, the head of the Russian gas company Gazprom. On that same day, Europeans were growing increasingly indignant over the consequences of the latest natural gas dispute in the eastern part of the continent.
The dispute between Russia and Ukraine seems to have been resolved, but the question of blame remains. Did Moscow deliberately risk allowing half of Europe to go without heat merely to teach Kiev a lesson? Whoever is to blame it is clear that neither Brussels nor Berlin did much over the past few years to avert the crisis.
Oleg Dubina, 49, the chairman of the Ukrainian state-owned energy company Naftogaz, looks like he has been up all night. With deep rings under his hooded eyes, he sits in conference room ASP 5G3 at the European Parliament in Brussels. Dubina is considered the most adept crisis manager in the former Soviet republic.
When he flew to Brussels via Moscow last Thursday his most important, and no less cunning, opponent in the current game of poker over natural gas in Europe was sitting only a few seats away: Alexei Miller, the head of the Russian gas company Gazprom. On that same day, Europeans were growing increasingly indignant over the consequences of the latest natural gas dispute in the eastern part of the continent.
