Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom said yesterday that Ukraine had blocked shipments of Russian gas to Europe.
“This morning Gazprom began realizing its plan to restore gas deliveries to Europe. Ukraine blocked all our actions,” the company’s deputy chief, Alexander Medvedev, was quoted by news agency Interfax as saying. “This is a violation of all our previous agreements. Under such conditions, we cannot physical carry out gas transit via Ukrainian territory.”
Russia resumed supplies of gas to Europe at 10am yesterday after observer teams were in place to measure gas under an EU-brokered deal between Moscow and Kiev, who blame each other for the disruptions of supplies to Europe.
Ria-Novosti news agency quoted an anonymous observer as saying the pressure had risen greatly at the Russian Sudzha gas compressor station, but was “zero” entering Ukrainian pipelines.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev had given Gazprom the go-ahead to again cut supplies if it believed Ukraine was siphoning off gas meant for Europe.
Moscow and Kiev have not yet resolved the contractual dispute that sparked the crisis on Jan. 1, meaning none of yesterday’s gas flows were to supply Ukraine.
The row, which left EU countries struggling to find energy supplies as temperatures dropped below freezing, is still not fully resolved.
Even before the Russian taps were opened, some Russian officials warned of delays in Ukraine.
“As soon as we start pumping the gas at the entry point, it should appear at the exit point,” Gazprom’s Sergei Kupriyanov said in a statement ahead of the opening.
Kupriyanov said there was still gas in the pipelines even though supply had been completely cut off since last Wednesday, and that this should ensure that gas supplies flow more quickly.
“Comments by Ukraine that 36 hours are needed from the arrival of transit gas from Russia into Ukraine’s gas network until it reaches Ukraine’s western border evoke disbelief and do not meet the current contract,” he said. “From the start of supplies of Russian gas at the entry point into Ukraine’s gas transport system, the volume of gas exiting from the western border of Ukraine must correspond exactly to the quantity supplied.”
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
There is no need for one country to control the semiconductor industry, which is complex and needs a division of labor, Taiwan’s top technology official said yesterday after US President Donald Trump criticized the nation’s chip dominance. Trump repeated claims on Thursday that Taiwan had taken the industry and he wanted it back in the US, saying he aimed to restore US chip manufacturing. National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) did not name Trump in a Facebook post, but referred to President William Lai’s (賴清德) comments on Friday that Taiwan would be a reliable partner in the
RSS