BRUSSELS -- EU-brokered talks with Russia and Ukraine finished Wednesday without an accord as Kiev dug in over how to fix a gas price that it said would depend too much on Moscow's tenuous goodwill.
The latest round, which began on a more positive note after Russian giant Gazprom (IW 1000/16) extended to Monday a threatened gas cut-off, broke up with all three parties explaining their positions separately, highlighting continued deep differences.
EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said that in his opinion the talks had established some common ground on price, delivery volumes and duration into 2015.
"We should use our remaining days [to Monday] to our advantage," Oettinger said, adding that all parties, including at heads of state, would remain in contact in an effort to reach an accord.
As the talks wound up in Brussels, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Ukraine against refusing the $385 price being offered.
Ukraine was driving negotiations into a "dead end," Putin said. "If our offer is rejected, then we will shift to a whole other level. That is not our choice, and we do not want that."
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2014
