RUSSIA ALARMED OVER NEW EU PACT

BBC NEWS
urope/8061042.stm
2009/05/22 08:13:25 GMT

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned the European Union not
to turn a proposed partnership with former Soviet countries against
Moscow.

Mr Medvedev was speaking at the end of a Russia-EU summit held
against a background of deep divisions over security, trade and
energy supplies.

He also signalled a new gas crisis may lie ahead, suggesting Ukraine
lacks the money to pay for gas Russia provides.

A row over prices severely affected supplies to Europe in January.

The BBC’s Richard Galpin in Moscow says divisions between Russia and
the European Union seem to be growing ever wider, and this latest
summit, held in the far east of Russia, made that abundantly clear,
with little sign of progress on any significant topic.

‘Anti-Russian bent’

"We would not want the Eastern Partnership to turn into partnership
against Russia. There are various examples," Mr Mevedev told a news
conference at the end of the summit.

"I would simply not want this partnership to consolidate certain
individual states, which are of an anti-Russian bent, with other
European states," he said.

Moscow has accused the 27-member bloc of creating new dividing lines
in Europe by offering closer ties to six former Soviet republics.

The Eastern Partnership Initiative aims to forge close political and
economic ties in exchange for democratic reforms.

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine have signed
up to the initiative, which seeks to bolster stability in the region.

However it does not offer the prospect of eventual EU membership.

Divisive issue

On the divisive issue of energy supplies, President Medvedev raised
questions about whether Ukraine can afford billions of dollars to
top up its gas stocks.

"We have doubts about Ukraine’s ability to pay," he said.

He also proposed that Moscow and the EU should help Ukraine get a
loan for gas payments.

Ukraine has denied there is any problem.

Russia supplies 42% of EU gas imports. Its decision to cut all gas to
Ukraine – a vital transit country – meant that many EU member states
also lost their supplies of gas for two weeks in January.

Speaking in Khabarovsk, European Commission President Jose Manuel
Barroso warned there should be no more disruptions to gas supplies
from Russia.