BRUSSELS (AP) — Talks between Ukraine and Russia to guarantee that Russian gas will continue to flow to Ukraine and parts of the EU this winter dragged on into the night Wednesday, the European Union said.
After inconclusive talks last week, the negotiations between the energy chiefs of the two nations were seen as a last-ditch attempt to stave off another crisis that could leave Ukraine without sufficient heating in the dead of winter.
Late Wednesday, an EU statement said a press conference to announce the results of the meeting was canceled and rescheduled for Thursday “in case of agreement.”
The announcement highlighted the difficulties that have marred the talks between both sides for weeks.
EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said that the key outstanding issue was where to find the money for cash-strapped Ukraine to pay for deliveries.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Petro Poroshenko, agreed on a broad outline of a deal, but financial issues have since bogged down talks.
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