Reuters: Ukraine tells Russia not to use natural gas as a "weapon"

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk urged Russia on Tuesday not to use natural gas as a "weapon" against his country, and accused Moscow of seizing tens of billions of dollars' worth of its assets and energy resources in Crimea.

Russian energy giant Gazprom earlier demanded a $1.66 billion pre-payment from Kiev for June gas deliveries, saying Ukraine had only half its requirements in storage to ensure a trouble-free winter.

"We are ready for a market-based approach and Russia is to stop using natural gas as another, or a new type of Russian weapon," Yatseniuk told a news conference with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in Brussels.

Ukraine wants to change the conditions of a 2009 contract that locked Kiev into buying a set volume of gas, whether it needs it or not, at $485 per 1,000 cubic metres - the highest price paid by any client in Europe.
MORE