Russia-Ukraine Gas Talks Resume as Putin and Merkel Speak - Bloomberg

Russia-Ukraine Gas Talks Resume as Putin and Merkel Speak - Bloomberg:



"Russia and Ukraine will resume talks on a gas-supply deal with the European Union in Brussels today after Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed the matter by phone.



Negotiations between Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and his Ukrainian counterpart, Yuri Prodan, along with EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger, will restart at 9:30 a.m. local time and will follow bilateral meetings, the European Commission said in a statement yesterday. The talks were postponed from yesterday evening because of the late arrival time for the Russian delegation to Brussels, the EU said.



The EU, dependent on Russian gas piped through Ukraine for about 15 percent of its supplies, is trying to broker a deal to maintain shipments amid a dispute over payments for the fuel and territorial claims. In Ukraine, clashes between rebels claiming allegiance to Russia and government forces continued in the east of the country."



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