Russia Accuses Ukraine of Blackmail on Gas Transit
俄罗斯和乌克兰的天然气管道之争

　
Russia and Ukraine have ended 2008 with an escalating dispute over gas deliveries through a key pipeline that supplies much of Western Europe. Each side is blaming the other for the dispute.

俄罗斯和乌克兰两国以不断升级的争吵度过了2008年，两国的争论围绕着通过一条主要管道向西欧提供天然气的问题。双方都认为争论的责任在对方。

A spokesman for the Russian gas giant, Gazprom, held up a letter at a Moscow new conference on New Year's Eve that he says was signed by the head of Ukraine's gas company. He says the letter threatened to cut off supplies flowing through a pipeline that supplies Western Europe with 25 percent of its gas.

俄罗斯天然气工业股份公司的发言人新年前夕在莫斯科举行的新闻发布会上展示了一封信，他说这封信是乌克兰天然气公司的负责人签署的。这位发言人说，这封信威胁要切断通过一条输送管道向西方提供的天然气供应。这部分天然气占西欧天然气消费总量的百分之25。

Gazprom's deputy chief, Alexander Medvedev referred to the Ukrainian letter as blackmail and unprecedented in the history of the international energy business. He added that Ukraine would be violating a contract it signed to continue deliveries to Western Europe through the end of 2010.

俄罗斯天然气工业股份公司的副总裁阿列克山德尔·麦德维杰夫把乌克兰方面的这封信说成是勒索，并且在国际能源交易史上还没有先例。他补充说，乌克兰违反了它签署的一份向西欧输送天然气的合同，这份合同2010年末到期。

Medvedev says Ukrainians did not respond when asked directly why they do not want to honor the contract. He says Ukrainians insist there is no contract, even after they are shown signatures and laws, simply because they do not want an agreement.

麦德维杰夫说，乌克兰对于俄罗斯方面有关为什么不遵守合同的直接提问没有做出答复。他说，乌克兰方面坚持认为并不存在这份合同，甚至俄罗斯向乌克兰方面出示了签名和文书之后，他们还坚持这种说法，因为他们只是不想承认这份协议。

A spokesman for Naftohaz, the Ukranian gas company, told VOA that its obligation extends only to a contractual framework for gas transit valid through 2013. However, Valentyn Zemliansky says agreement on specific issues is reached on an annual basis.

乌克兰的NOFTOHAZ天然气公司的发言人瓦兰亭·泽姆连斯基对美国之音说，他们公司的义务只涉及到有关输送天然气的合同框架，协议框架在2013年到期。但是他表示，双方在具体问题上的协议是每年都需要更新的。

Zemliansky says additional agreements cover the volume and quality of gas, as well as transit costs, and he notes that an agreement on these items for 2009 has not been signed.

泽姆连斯基说，一些补充协议涉及天然气的数量和质量，以及运输成本。他指出，有关这些问题的2009年协议还没有签署。

Senior Gazprom officials have made conflicting statements about the status of Ukrainian payment of its $2 billion debt to Gazprom. Gazprom chairman, Alexei Miller, says the funds have yet to appear in company accounts. That statement came a day after Ukraine announced it had paid its obligations for November and December deliveries. However, a deputy to the Gazprom chairman, Alexander Medvedev, says payment has in fact been received.

俄罗斯天然气工业股份公司的高层官员在乌克兰向俄罗斯的这家公司偿还20亿美元债务的问题上说法不一。俄罗斯天然气公司董事长阿列克赛·米勒说，这笔钱还没有出现在公司的账面上。就在他说这番话的前一天，乌克兰宣布它已经支付了11月和12月输送天然气的费用。然而，俄罗斯天然气公司的副总裁麦德维杰夫说，乌克兰方面的付款已经收到了。

Gazprom Chairman Alexei Miller has said there must be an agreement for Russia to have a legal basis to continue gas deliveries to Ukraine after January 1.

俄罗斯天然气公司董事长米勒说，俄罗斯方面必须有一个以法律为基础的协议才能够在1月1号之后继续向乌克兰输送天然气。

Gazprom has been seeking to increase Ukraine's price for gas in the New Year to $418 per 1,000 cubic meters, more than double the current rate.

俄罗斯天然气公司一直寻求在新年后把乌克兰的天然气价格涨到每千立方米418美元，几乎是现有价格的两倍。

In 2006, Western European consumers noticed a drop in gas pipeline pressure after Russia cut supplies to Ukraine in a similar mid-winter payment dispute.

2006年，西欧消费者注意到，俄罗斯在进入冬季之后和乌克兰在付款问题上发生了类似的争吵，然后俄罗斯切断了对乌克兰的天然气供应，输气管道的压力出现下降。

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukrainian relations with Russia and the European Union will suffer serious consequences if Kyiv disrupts supplies to Western Europe.

俄罗斯总理普京警告说，如果基辅中断对西欧的天然气供应，乌克兰同俄罗斯以及同欧盟的关系将面临严重后果。