俄罗斯切断对乌克兰天然气供应

Russian energy giant Gazprom says it is cutting gas supplies to Ukraine following Kyiv\'s failure to meet a Monday deadline to pay nearly $2 billion of its outstanding debt.

Gazprom says Ukraine must now pre-pay for any natural gas after missing the deadline.

Also Monday, Gazprom filed a lawsuit in a Stockholm arbitration court to try to recover Ukraine\'s entire $4.5 billion debt.

Ukraine is a conduit for gas supplies to other parts of Europe.  Gazprom notified European countries that shipments through Ukraine will not be affected, but warned there could be a disruption if Ukraine decides to siphon off the gas.  A Gazprom spokesman said Ukraine\'s state-owned Naftogaz is obliged to make sure the gas reaches its European customers.

Russia and Ukraine have been embroiled in the energy dispute since April when Moscow nearly doubled the price of gas to Ukraine to $480 per 1,000 cubic meters.  Russia has since offered about a 20 percent discount, but Kyiv negotiators have sought a deeper price cut, closer to the original price.

俄罗斯国家天然气公司说，乌克兰错过了最后期限，因此今后必须预先为该公司供应的所有天然气付款。

俄罗斯国家天然气公司星期一还向斯多哥尔摩仲裁法院提出告诉，试图讨回乌克兰拖欠的45亿美元债务。

乌克兰是天然气输往欧洲其他地区的通道。俄罗斯国家天然气公司已经通知欧洲国家，经由乌克兰的石油供应不会受到影响，但同时警告说，如果乌克兰决定截取天然气，该公司的天然气供应可能受到干扰。该公司发言人说，乌克兰国家天然气公司有义务确保天然气输送到欧洲客户。

自4月以来，俄罗斯和乌克兰一直陷于能源争端，俄罗斯将提供给乌克兰的天然气价格提高了几乎一倍，把每1000立方米的价格涨至480美元。俄罗斯方面后来提出降价20%左右，但基辅谈判代表寻求接近原价的更大幅度降价。