Energy policy

EU Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger has suggested he sees no risk of Russian gas supplies to Europe being affected by potential sanctions over the events in Ukraine.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Moscow’s demand to Ukraine to settle the gas debts has no connection to the political processes in the country.

Russia’s demand to settle the overdue payments “is not at all connected to the elections in Ukraine on May 25,” Putin said, cited by Itar-Tass.

Several new European coal plants, authorized by the Energy Community, risk breaching EU pollution limits if they proceed according to their plans.

Commitments made under the Energy Community treaty by Moldova, Ukraine among others oblige them to comply with the EU's Industrial Emissions Directive by 1 January 2018, Euroactiv.com reports based on EU law firm analysis.

By Jan Lopatka & Christoph Steitz

Unprecedented talks across the European Union on Tuesday showed it scrambling for solutions on the ground to break its dependence on Russian gas and help supply Ukraine.

BELGRADE - Adviser to Serbia's energy minister Nenad Ilic said on Wednesday the new energy bill would be delivered to the parliament doe adoption right after the creation of the next government.

Kremlin threatens gas supplies to Southeast Europe

Several nations receive Russian gas via Ukraine. In other business news: Albania's credit rating sees improvement and Turkey's military spending surpasses Canada.

The EU says Russia should not politicise its contractual shipments of gas. [AFP]

German RWE has started delivering gas to Ukraine via Poland.

RWE uses the services of Polish gas-transit company Gaz System, which has reported it will provide to Ukraine around 4 M cubic meters of gas on Wednesday, April 16, according to RBC Daily.

Ukraine is suspending payments to Russia for gas deliveries until the conclusion of price talks, chief executive Andriy Kobolev said on Saturday.

The United States has condemned Russia's threat to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine.

In a statement made by the State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki, "Russia's efforts to use energy as a tool of coercion" are unacceptable, the BBC reports.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to cut off gas supplies to Ukraine, if the country doesn't pay its debts.

In a letter to 18 world leaders, the Russian head of state warned that Ukraine's USD 2.2 B debt for delivered gas means that supplies could be stopped, something which would affect the European Union as well.