Medvedev terms Ukrainian gas "conditions" as "provocative"

Early resumption of natural gas supplies to the EU nations via Ukraine continues to be under threat, with President Dmitry Medvedev terming the "new conditions" of the agreement as "provocative".

"Such conditions make a mockery of common sense and are a violation of agreements we reached earlier. Such actions are meant to thwart the agreement to monitor the gas transits - they are blatantly provocative and destructive," Medvedev said in his televised meeting with Foreign Minister Sergie Lavrov last evening.

Medvedev said the deal for the earliest resumption of Russian natural gas supplies to the EU via Ukraine could not be fulfilled as Kiev had added "new conditions" to it. Over the weekend Moscow and Kiev separately signed agreements with the European Union to set up international monitoring at gas inlets and outlets in both countries.

Russia cut off gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine on January 7, after it accused Kiev of 'stealing' gas. Earlier on January 1, it had cut off gas supplies to Ukraine after the state-owned gas monopolies of the two former Soviet republics - Gazprom and Naftagaz Ukrainy failed to sign a new contract for the New Year over arrears and transit fee.

Ukrainian PM Yulia Timoshenko added an additional declaration as an integral part of the  monitoring agreement brokered in the course of rotating EU president Czech Republic's Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's shuttle mission to Moscow and Kiev, which upholds Ukraine as a reliable transit nation and states it has no standing dues, virtually putting the blame on Russia for the disruption of gas supplies to the freezing Europe.