Taps to go back on: after Russia and Ukraine sign new deal
Russia and Ukraine sign new gas deal
Russia and Ukraine signed a deal today for a second time to help secure the resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe.
Earlier today Ukraine removed additions to the deal to resolve a row that had held up an agreement reached at the weekend to monitor Russian gas supplies across Ukraine to Europe.
Flows to Europe have been cut off for nearly a week in freezing temperatures after Russia accused Ukraine of siphoning off gas to make up for losses it has suffered since Moscow turned off the tap on 1 January in a dispute over gas prices.
Ukraine denies the charge.
The Czech presidency of the EU and Russia's state export monopoly Gazprom said the deal on deploying international monitors to strategic points along the gas pipeline network was signed in Brussels by Russia and the EU.
Ukraine had signed earlier in its capital Kiev.
The gas row is yet another power-play between the neighbours, whose relations have been strained since Ukraine elected pro-Western leaders after the "Orange revolution" in 2004 and tried to shrug off Russia's influence.
The EU, which backed Ukraine in an earlier dispute in 2006, has tried to steer a neutral course between the two, and helped broker the deal over the weekend to allow monitors on Ukrainian territory.
But some diplomats have criticised both for holding the 27-nation bloc, which gets a fifth of all its gas supplies from pipelines that run from Russia across Ukraine, to ransom.
"It is unbearable that Russia and Ukraine carry out their conflict in the middle of a grim cold winter on Europe's back," German economics secretary, Peter Hintze, said in Brussels.
"We need a mechanism so we can act faster in future crises."
Russia and Ukraine traded blame for the weekend's false-start.
Moscow has accused the Kiev authorities of being corrupt and inept.
Ukraine said today Russia was delaying the settlement because it had insufficient gas supplies.
Gazprom and Ukraine have said it will take at least 36 hours before gas reaches EU borders after flows resume, which means most countries will not get Russian gas before Wednesday.