MOSCOW, June 13 (UPI) -- With a payment deadline looming, a Kremlin spokesman said Russia would sit on the sidelines Friday of talks on gas debt issues with Ukraine.
Russian, Ukrainian and European Union representatives are working to find a way to settle ongoing gas disputes. Russian energy company Gazprom says Ukraine owes billions of dollars for recent gas deliveries. Debt disputes in 2006 and 2009 resulted in a Gazprom decision to cut gas through Ukraine, which left downstream consumers in Europe short of energy supplies.
A spokeswoman for the Russian Energy Ministry told Russian news agency ITAR-TASS no talks were planned before Monday.
The report said European Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger had expected to continue trilateral talks by phone.
The commissioner said Friday he was hoping for a solution to the crisis before next week. He said much of the situation may depend "on the political decision of the Russian government."
Gazprom has said it would force Ukraine to pay for gas in advance by Monday unless it settles the billions of dollars of debt owed for natural gas deliveries.
A discounted price for natural gas for Ukraine was suspended following a November political upheaval that saw Kiev move closer to the European Union.
