MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President
Vladimir Putin threatened Wednesday to start charging Ukraine in advance
for vital natural gas supplies — a move that could sharply hurt his
neighbor, which is already on the verge of bankruptcy.
It was just the
latest way Moscow is putting pressure on Ukraine since its pro-Russian
president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted from power in February after
months of street protests.
Meanwhile,
NATO's top military commander in Europe told The Associated Press that
countermoves to the Russian military threat against Ukraine could
include sending American troops to alliance nations in Eastern Europe
feeling at risk.
U.S. Air
Force Gen. Philip Breedlove told the Associated Press on Wednesday that
he wouldn't "write off involvement by any nation, to include the United
States."
"Essentially what we
are looking at is a package of land, air and maritime measures that
would build assurance for our easternmost allies," he said.
Putin,
who was chairing a meeting with government ministers in his suburban
residence outside Moscow, Putin said asking for advance gas payments
"corresponded with the contract" between Ukraine and Russia. Still, he
suggested that the state energy giant Gazprom to refrain from such
drastic measures until "additional consultations" between both sides.
Russia has already
eliminated a gas discount it had given Ukraine, arguing that it was tied
to a lease for Russia's Black Sea Fleet base in Crimea, a Ukrainian
region that Russia annexed last month. And Ukraine has promised the
International Monetary Fund that it will cut energy subsidies to
residents in exchange for a bailout loan of up to $14 billion — so gas
prices were set to rise 50 percent on May 1 even before the latest salvo
from Putin.
Speaking in Kiev
earlier, Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuri Prodan said Ukraine will pay for
March deliveries of gas from Russia only after it reaches an agreement
on the price. He rejected the new, much higher price that Gazprom
announced earlier and said Ukraine has not pumped in any gas from Russia
so far this month.
Source: Yahoo
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