Eastern Europe could face a new energy crisis in the coming winter, facing shortages of gas and oil, according to Russian Deputy Prime-Minister Igor Sechin. Sechin, who came forward with the warning at a meeting with European Union Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs Monday, said the problem lay with Ukraine.
Shortages may come about if the Russian neighbor does not stock-up on enough natural gas, Sechin said, warning that Ukrainian gas infrastructure may not be sufficient in any case.
“If this is not done, the tragedy that we lived through in January will develop catastrophically,” Sechin said. In January, Russia accused Ukraine of stealing gas for domestic use, and cut off gas supplies to the country. Around 80 percent of Russia’s European-bound gas travels through Ukraine, and the shut-off caused widespread shortages across the continent.
Sechin said the EU and Russia must work together to help Ukraine update its transit network. Russia had earlier been excluded from a EU-backed deal to develop ...
