KIEV, Ukraine – A natural gas crisis loomed over Europe on Tuesday, as a contract dispute between Russia and Ukraine shut off Russian gas supplies to six countries and reduced gas deliveries to several others.
At least two Bulgarian cities were totally without gas, and nations like Turkey were turning to Iran to bolster their supplies.
In a sharp turnaround, the European Union blasted Russia and Ukraine, saying the sudden cutoff to some of its member countries was "completely unacceptable." Just a day ago, the EU was trying to downplay any problems from the gas dispute.
In response, Russia and Ukraine agreed to hold new talks on the contract dispute over Russian natural gas that travels to Europe through Ukraine's pipelines. The two neighbors are locked in a dispute over pricing and overdue payments. Russia cut off supplies to Ukraine on Jan. 1 but had promised to keep gas moving to Europe.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090106/...ine_russia_gas