The Yamal-Europe gas transfer station near the Belarusssian town of Nesvizh. Russia has said a deal to resume gas supplies to the European Union through pipelines in Ukraine had been delayed as swathes of central Europe and the Balkans remained without heating. (AFP/Viktor Drachev)Russia Gas Deal Collapses -- AFP
MOSCOW (AFP) — An EU-brokered accord on terms for Russia to resume gas supply to Europe collapsed when Russia accused Ukraine of secretly altering the deal and declared it null and void.
"I am ordering the government not to accept the document signed yesterday," Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in televised remarks.
"We are obliged to consider the document signed as null and void."
The breakdown came as a huge swath of central Europe suffered for a sixth consecutive day from the abrupt cutoff of Russian natural gas supplies that has left homes without heat and idled factories and schools.
The dispute between ex-Soviet giants Russia and Ukraine over gas payments and prices has presented the EU with one of its worst-ever energy crises and has raised urgent questions about the reliability of supply from Russia.
Read more ....
More News On Europe's Energy Crisis
Russia-Ukraine deal on gas for Europe hits trouble -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Russia declares gas monitoring deal void -- Yahoo News/AP
Without Gas, Bulgarians Turn Icy to Old Ally -- New york Times
Energy battle leaves Moscow and Kiev out in political cold -- The Guardian
Lack of energy initiatives keeps Europeans in cold -- Washington Times
My Comment: This has consequences on the economic, political, environmental, and social level. Economic, because a considerable amount of Europe's industrial base cannot function without an adequate energy source. Environmental, because other means to generate power are now being used .... i.e. coal, wood burning, and oil furnaces. Social, because many who cannot take care of themselves because they are too old or sick are now suffering tonight.
Political .... this is the big one. This crisis poisons Russian and Ukrainian relations for years. This is also provoking the Russian minority in certain provinces of the Ukraine to call for independence and alignment with Russia. In addition, talks for any extension of Russian Navy use of Ukrainian ports is now dead. From the European angle .... there is also now a lot of bad feelings towards both countries. Millions are suffering tonight .... and this is occurring in the middle of winter.
Special note from the WNU Editor. During the weekdays I live in Montreal, province of Quebec in Canada. On weekends I live up north in my chalet in the Laurentians of Quebec. In 1998 we experienced a once in a century ice storm that knocked out electrical power for weeks .... and this was in the middle of winter. Within days the outside temperatures dropped to -20C. In my house, it was -7C. For a city of Montreal with a population close to 3 million this was a disaster. But everyone pitched in to help each other, government and police responded appropriately, and no one died or had suffered some tragic consequence from it.
But it was still hell. It was cold .... and to live like that is something that I hope I will never experience again. The people in Europe are experiencing what I experienced 10 years ago .... trust me .... I feel for them.