Russian and Ukrainian officials have agreed to resume talks on resolving a dispute over the price of natural gas that has resulted in European nations suffering a reduction in
gas
supply.
A spokesman for Russia's state-owned gas monopoly, Gazprom said Ukrainian officials were on their way to Moscow. He did not specify who would be taking part but said the talks would be "at a sufficiently high level".
Gazprom cut off natural gas supplies to Ukraine on Sunday after the country refused to meet its demand for a fourfold price increase. Other European countries reported drops in their supplies.
Gazprom accused Ukraine of siphoning off gas bound for Europe - a charge Ukraine denied.
A Ukrainian worker operates valves in a gas storage and transit point near Kiev
Washington warned Moscow against using energy as a political tool after Russia's gas monopoly cut its feed to Ukraine on Sunday over a pricing row.
Moscow bowed to Western pressure and agreed yesterday to restore pumping close to normal levels, acknowledging there was little it could do to stop Ukraine helping itself to gas that crosses its territory on the way west.
Polish gas group PGNIG joined suppliers in Hungary and Austria in saying deliveries from Russia via Ukraine were now back to normal.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy had urged Kiev and Moscow to settle their dispute through talks and not allow it to spill over again onto European energy supplies.
Russian state-controlled gas monopoly Gazprom said it had not lifted its embargo on gas shipments to Ukraine and repeated on Wednesday its claim that Kiev was siphoning off gas intended for piping onward to customers in the EU.
"Ukraine continues to steal gas, and has stolen 118 million cubic metres over the past day. Gazprom will once again compensate its European consumers but it cannot continue eternally and Ukraine will have to pay for it," said a spokesman.
Kiev has denied taking Russian gas but said it would do so if temperatures fell below freezing.