Medvedev says gas deal is off
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday said an EU-brokered deal aimed at restoring the supply of Russian gas to European consumers via Ukrainian pipelines was off, in a discussion with Moscow's foreign minister shown on television.
By Agencies |
MOSCOW: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday said an EU-brokered deal aimed at restoring the supply of Russian gas to European consumers via Ukrainian pipelines was off, in a discussion with Moscow's foreign minister shown on television.
Medvedev said Russia objected to a handwritten addition made to the formal agreement by the Ukrainian side.
"I think that those who have signed this document with reservations well understand the legal consequences of their actions," he told Sergei Lavrov.
"As a result, we are obliged to consider the document signed as null and void for us. We will not apply it as long as this reserve is not overturned," he added.
The accord signed Sunday called for the EU, Russia and Ukraine to each provide 25 experts to "carry out checks on the basis of equal parity both on Ukrainian and Russian territory," the Ukrainian presidency said.
However, the deal soon began to unravel -- with Russia initially saying its implementation had been delayed.
Russian news agencies subsequently reported that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso by telephone that Ukrainian actions in the hours after the agreement was reached were unacceptable.
According to the government's press service, Putin told Barroso that additional elements added to the finished documents were "inadmissible."
Medvedev said Russia objected to a handwritten addition made to the formal agreement by the Ukrainian side.
"I think that those who have signed this document with reservations well understand the legal consequences of their actions," he told Sergei Lavrov.
"As a result, we are obliged to consider the document signed as null and void for us. We will not apply it as long as this reserve is not overturned," he added.
The accord signed Sunday called for the EU, Russia and Ukraine to each provide 25 experts to "carry out checks on the basis of equal parity both on Ukrainian and Russian territory," the Ukrainian presidency said.
However, the deal soon began to unravel -- with Russia initially saying its implementation had been delayed.
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Russian news agencies subsequently reported that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso by telephone that Ukrainian actions in the hours after the agreement was reached were unacceptable.
According to the government's press service, Putin told Barroso that additional elements added to the finished documents were "inadmissible."
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