Teams of EU monitors traveled to gas pumping stations along Ukraine旧 extensive pipeline network yesterday, as Russia prepared to resume natural gas shipments through Ukraine to Europe.
Ukraine signed a deal early yesterday to allow European, Russian and its own experts to track the flow of Russian gas through Ukraine pipelines. The Kremlin insisted on a written agreement on the multinational monitoring mission before it would restart gas flows.
Russia旧 state gas giant Gazprom cut off all supplies to Europe on Wednesday amid an acrimonious dispute over prices, deliveries and debts with Ukraine.
The cutoff came at a time of diplomatic tensions between the two countries, following Ukraine旧 efforts to join NATO and its support for the former Soviet republic of Georgia in its war with Russia in August. Both moves have brought bitter criticism of Kiev from Moscow.
Ukrainian officials say it could take up to three days for gas to reach European countries.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin promised that Moscow would resume gas shipments through Ukraine once the deal was signed and the monitors were in place.
Those monitors were to arrive at gas shipment control centers on Ukraine旧 border with Russia and with European countries yesterday, officials with Ukraine旧 state gas company Naftogaz said.
Russia demanded the monitors, saying it was the only way to prevent Ukraine from stealing Russian gas intended for Europe.
Ukraine hotly denied the accusation, saying Russia was not providing enough gas to pump the rest of the gas west to Europe.
Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, shuttled between Moscow and Kiev on Saturday to mediate the deal. He finally persuaded Ukraine to accept the monitoring pact during marathon talks that dragged into early yesterday.
Bohdan Sokolovsky, an energy adviser to the Ukrainian president, said it would take Russia about 30 hours to start the flow of gas and then it would take an additional 36 hours for Ukraine to pump the gas to its western borders.
Russia supplies about a quarter of the EU旧 natural gas, 80 percent of it shipped through Ukraine. The disruption has come as the continent was gripped by subfreezing temperatures. At least 11 people have frozen to death this week in Europe, including 10 in Poland, where temperatures have sunk to minus 25慢.
PLA MANEUVERS: Although Beijing has yet to formally announce military drills, its coast guard vessels have been spotted near and around Taiwan since Friday The Taiwanese military is on high alert and is closely monitoring the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) air and naval deployments after Beijing yesterday reserved seven airspace areas east of its Zhejiang and Fujian provinces through Wednesday. Beijing’s action was perceived as a precursor to a potential third “Joint Sword” military exercise, which national security experts said the PLA could launch following President William Lai’s (賴清德) state visits to the nation’s three Pacific allies and stopovers in Hawaii and Guam last week. Unlike the Joint Sword military exercises in May and October, when Beijing provided detailed information about the affected areas, it
CHINA: The activities come amid speculation that Beijing might launch military exercises in response to Lai’s recent visit to Pacific allies The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday said China had nearly doubled the number of its warships operating around the nation in the previous 24 hours, ahead of what security sources expect would be a new round of war games. China’s military activities come amid speculation Beijing might organize military drills around the nation in response to President William Lai’s (賴清德) recent visit to Pacific allies, including stops in Hawaii and Guam, a US territory. Lai returned from the week-long trip on Friday night. Beijing has held two rounds of war games around Taiwan this year, and sends ships and military planes
Five flights have been arranged to help nearly 2,000 Taiwanese tourists return home from Okinawa after being stranded due to cruise ship maintenance issues, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced yesterday. China Airlines Ltd (中華航空), and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) have arranged five flights with a total of 748 additional seats to transport 1,857 passengers from the MSC Bellissima back to Taiwan, the ministry said. The flights have been scheduled for yesterday and today by the Civil Aviation Administration, with the cruise operator covering all associated costs. The MSC Bellissima, carrying 4,341 passengers, departed from Keelung on Wednesday last week for Okinawa,
US president-elect Donald Trump said he would “never say” if Washington is committed to defending Taiwan from China, but “I would prefer that they do not do it [ an attack],” adding that he has a “good relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). “I never say because I have to negotiate things, right?” Trump said in an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press host Kristen Welker after saying he would not reveal his incoming administration’s stance on Taiwan’s defense in the event of an attack. Asked the question again, Trump, in a reference to China, said: “I would prefer that they
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