Putin holds fire on making Ukraine pay in advance for gas

At a meeting with government ministers, Putin said it has the right to ask for advance payments under a 2009 contract between Ukraine and Russia but there will be further talks before that happens.“Taking into account the complex situation in Ukraine and the fact that we have not yet finished talks with the European Union, I’m asking Gazprom and the government to hold off on the possibility [of asking for advance payments] under the terms of that contract until additional consultations take place,” Putin said.Earlier Ukraine’s energy minister had announced the country will temporarily stop buying Russian gas until the issue is settled.Gazprom increased the price of gas for Ukraine by 80 percent after the ousting of Moscow-backed President Viktor Yanukovich and the installation of a pro-Western government.Kiev said the price rise was a politically-motivated move to punish it for pursuing closer ties with the European Union.Brussels is concerned because Europe gets around a third of the gas it uses from Russia and half of that comes via Ukraine.(euronews.com)ANN.Az