EU to hold fresh gas talks with Russia

Officials from the European Union, Russia and Ukraine will meet Monday in Brussels for further talks on the future of Russian gas supplies to Kiev and Europe. They will prepare the ground for a second round of talks at ministerial level later this month, following a meeting last week in Warsaw, the European Commission said Friday. In Warsaw, EU Energy Commissioner Oettinger, Russian Energy Minister Novak and Ukrainian Energy Minister Prodan, agreed that gas supplies would not be interrupted while negotiations continued. Since then, however, the Ukraine crisis has deepened, with pro-Kremlin rebels in the east pressing ahead with plans for a referendum on independence from Kiev on Sunday. On Thursday, Russia said Ukraine will have to pay up-front for all future gas deliveries because of billions of dollars in outstanding bills owed to Moscow, AFP.