Gas row: Russia Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
Russia to restore gas under EU monitors
Russia will resume gas exports to Europe as soon as EU monitors arrive at gas compressor stations along the route, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said.
"As soon as people show up there and really sit down and start working, gas will immediately resume flowing," Putin told reporters.
Unfortunately, Gazprom boss Alexei Miller said that Ukraine had refused to sign a protocol allowing multi-lateral monitoring of Russian gas transit to Europe, further delaying supply resumption.
"We had a real chance today to resume supplies. Unfortunately, it did not happen," he told reporters in Brussels.
Russia, whose image is being damaged by the gas row, was prepared to pay Ukraine a transit fee of $3-4 per 1000 cubic metres over 100 kilometres, up from $1.70 now, Putin said.
Putin, citing the "collapse" of authorities in Kiev and high-level corruption in Ukraine as reasons for the dispute, called on Ukrainian leaders to come to Moscow to sign a new gas deal, said a Reuters note.