Russia halts gas delivery to Ukraine

The Russian state-owned Gazprom halted gas supply delivery going into Ukraine as the latter failed to meet the debt payment deadline, set for Monday at 8 am.

Although representatives of the two sides had held negotiations last week over the gas deal, it seems that no agreement has been reached regarding debt payment and any intervention from the EU calling for a compromise solution was rejected by Russia.

Sergei Kupriyanov, spokesperson for Gazprom, declared, during a press conference, that gas delivery will be resumed only after Ukraine pays its debt up front. He added that Kiev has also missed out on payment for its June supply delivery.

Kupriyanov tried to settle down the unrest among other European countries that rely on gas supplies delivered via Ukraine: 'The volumes of gas designated for European consumers are flowing in full accordance with the contract’s figures, and Naftogaz Ukraine must stick to its contract to transit gas, and ensure the gas arrives uninterupted at its destination.'