As Russia resumes natural gas supplies to Belarus, new threat keeps dispute alive
Russia's gas monopoly says it has resumed supplies to Belarus after
it paid a near-US$200 million bill, but the ex-Soviet neighbor
still threatened to stop the transit of gas to other European
countries unless Moscow settles its own debts, AP reported.
Alexei Miller, chief of Russia's state-controlled Gazprom natural gas giant, said in televised remarks that the company fully resumed gas deliveries to Belarus Thursday.
But Belarus, which said Wednesday it had paid its US$187 million debt to Russia, demanded that Moscow pay what it claims is a US$260 million bill for transit of gas to the West. Belarus threatened to cut off gas transit on Thursday if Moscow doesn't pay up.
EU energy chief Guenther Oettinger said EU member Lithuania, which gets all of its Russian gas via Belarus, reported a 40 percent drop in supplies Wednesday.
Alexei Miller, chief of Russia's state-controlled Gazprom natural gas giant, said in televised remarks that the company fully resumed gas deliveries to Belarus Thursday.
But Belarus, which said Wednesday it had paid its US$187 million debt to Russia, demanded that Moscow pay what it claims is a US$260 million bill for transit of gas to the West. Belarus threatened to cut off gas transit on Thursday if Moscow doesn't pay up.
EU energy chief Guenther Oettinger said EU member Lithuania, which gets all of its Russian gas via Belarus, reported a 40 percent drop in supplies Wednesday.
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