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27.02.2015 Russia

Russia issues Ukraine gas ultimatum

27.02.2015 LISTEN
By GNA

EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE
Moscow/Brussels, Feb. 27, (dpa/GNA) - Russia on Friday issued a fresh ultimatum to Ukraine, saying that it will cut off gas supplies if Kiev does not make prepayments by Monday.

"If Gazprom does not receive money by the end of Monday, we will have a situation in which gas supplies could be stopped by Tuesday," Energy Minister Alexander Novak said, referring to the Russian state energy company.

Novak added that 15 million dollars which Ukraine paid Gazprom on Friday would last for just one day, the Interfax news agency reported.

The minister also stressed that gas supplies to other European countries were not threatened. Gazprom has said earlier that the dispute puts gas transit to Europe at risk.

Novak and his Ukrainian colleague Volodymyr Demchyshyn are to attend EU-mediated crisis talks over the dispute in Brussels Monday.

GNA

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