Chastised Russia all but abandons gas blockade

[Eugene]

Chastised Russia all but abandons gas blockade
Mon Jan 2, 2006 4:52 PM ET

By Meg Clothier and Nick Antonovics

MOSCOW/BERLIN (Reuters) - Russia was forced to all but abandon a gas blockade against neighbouring
Ukraine on Monday after European trade partners complained that their own supplies were hit and
warned Moscow relations would suffer.

State-controlled Gazprom said on Monday it would restore full gas supplies to Europe by Tuesday,
two days after the gas monopoly cut supplies to Ukraine in a dispute over a steep price hike.

Gas deliveries across Europe, which imports a quarter of its needs from Russia, started to fall
dramatically as Moscow reduced exports through a pipeline to Ukraine which continues on to European
customers.

Russia, which took over the G8 chairmanship for the first time this month and promotes itself
as a reliable energy source, made the cuts on Sunday after Ukraine rejected Moscow's demand
for a fourfold price rise.

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Full article: http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=fundLaunches&storyID=2006-01-02T215214Z_01_SCH148325_RTRUKOC_0_US-RUSSIA-UKRAINE.xml

[xultar]

1. WTF...are they stoopid? Why blockade anyways what asshats.

[MisterP]

2. who wrote THAT headline?

Russia could try a network around the Baltic, through the friendlier Scandinavian states. Ukraine's already teamed up with Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to look for their oil, as well as Georgia and Azerbaijan, which bridge the Black and Caspian Seas.

[xchrom]

3. what? and give up such direct influence on the ukraine?!?!

moscow still dreams of reuniting georgia, ukraine and russia -- more than that is less likely and i think they know it.