EU: Calling for solution

The European Union (EU) on Tuesday called for more efforts to resolve the dispute between Russia and Ukraine.

"The European Union considers that in the past, Gazprom has demonstrated its commitment to be a reliable supplier of gas to the European Union, as has Ukraine (which has) played a similar role as a transit partner of the EU," said EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs in a statement.

"The EU places enormous importance on this, and looks to the parties to make every effort to find a rapid and durable solution to their disagreement," the EU energy commissioner said.

"In addition, we look to both parties to ensure that gas supplies to the EU remain unaffected," he said.

As Gazprom says supplies to the EU will be unaffected, the EU said in a press release that "to date, no member state has reported any reduction in supplies".

The gas row echoes a 2006 dispute when Gazprom cut off all gas to Ukraine because Kiev had refused to agree on a much higher price for supplies, leading to gas shortages across Europe.

Russia, the single largest mineral energy supplier to the EU, provides 30 percent of the EU's oil imports and about 44 percent of its gas imports.

Ukraine sits on the main transit route for Russia's gas exports to Europe, with about 80 percent of gas traveling via Ukrainian pipelines.

(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2008)