Russia's Gazprom to Further Cut Gas Supplies to Ukraine

乌克兰面临俄罗斯减少天然气供应

　



The government of Ukraine will meet Wednesday to consider options in the face further reductions in natural gas deliveries from Russia. Russia's state-run energy giant, Gazprom, is assuring customers in Europe that their supplies will not be affected.

　

乌克兰政府将在星期三召开会议，考虑如何应对俄罗斯进一步减少对乌克兰的天然气供应量的问题。俄罗斯国营能源业巨头俄罗斯天然气工业公司向其欧洲客户保证，欧洲的天然气供应不会受到影响。

Speaking at a morning news conference in the Russian capital, Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said the company would reduce Ukraine's gas supplies by another 25 percent Tuesday evening. It follows a similar cut on Monday.

　

俄罗斯天然气工业公司的发言人库普里扬诺夫星期二上午在莫斯科的一个新闻发布会上说，该公司将在星期二傍晚时把对乌克兰的天然气供应量再减少25%。此前，俄罗斯天然气工业公司已经在星期一进行了类似的削减。

Kupriyanov says the Gazprom decision is based on lack of progress in Russian-Ukrainian talks and the absence of signed contracts with Ukraine's Naftogaz energy company.

　

他说，俄罗斯天然气工业公司做出这样的决定是因为俄罗斯和乌克兰之间的谈判缺乏进展，而且俄罗斯方面也没能和乌克兰国家石油天然气公司签署有关协议。

Kupriyanov said gas supplies which transit through Ukraine to Europe will remain at full capacity, nearly 357 million cubic meters, per day.

　

库普里扬诺夫说，在乌克兰中转最终抵达欧洲各国的天然气将保持全量供应，即将近每天3亿5千7百万立方米。

On Monday, Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Turchynov accused Russia of failing to pay his country as much as $700 million in pipeline transit fees for gas deliveries to Europe.

　

乌克兰第一副总理图尔奇诺夫星期一指责说，俄罗斯没有为输送到欧洲的天然气向乌克兰交纳高达7亿美元的管道中转费。

The energy advisor for Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, parliamentarian Oleksiy Hudyma, says his country is fully prepared to pay for the gas it consumes. But he says there is no one to pay, because Gazprom is refusing to sign a contract that would eliminate intermediaries.

　

乌克兰总理季莫申科的能源顾问、议员古德马说，乌克兰已经作好充分准备为其使用的天然气付费。但是，他说，乌克兰还不会付这笔钱，因为俄罗斯天然气工业公司拒绝签署一项关于去除几家中间商的协议。

In remarks to VOA, Hudyma noted the presidents of Ukraine and Russia agreed last month to direct deliveries of gas.

　

古德马对美国之音表示，乌克兰和俄罗斯的总统在上个月同意不经过中间公司直接输送天然气。

The energy advisor says there are two intermediaries, which the government and people of Ukraine do not want - RosUkrEnergo and UkrGazEnergo. He says these companies have taken billions of dollars out of the Ukrainian economy in recent years. Hudyma accuses Russia of being less prepared for talks than Ukraine.

　

他说，乌克兰政府和人民希望去除的两家中间公司是俄乌能源公司和乌克兰天然气能源公司。古德马说，这两家公司最近几年从乌克兰赚走了数十亿美元。他指责俄罗斯在会谈上做的准备不如乌克兰充分。

Gazprom owns 50 percent of RosUkrEnergo, a company registered in Switzerland. The other half is owned by two Ukrainian businessmen. UkrGazEnergo is joint venture between Ukraine's biggest gas supplier, Naftogaz of Ukraine, and RosUkrEnergo.

　

俄乌能源公司是一家在瑞士注册的公司，该公司50%的股份掌握在俄罗斯天然气工业公司手中，剩下的50%股份掌握在两个乌克兰商人手中。乌克兰天然气能源公司是乌克兰最大的天然气供应商乌克兰国家石油天然气公司和俄乌能源合资创办的。

The Tymoshenko government says the arrangements are costly, not transparent, and corrupt.

　

季莫申科政府说，这种商业安排造成了很大的开支，缺乏透明度而且腐败。

Meanwhile, the gas issue has become a political football in Ukraine. The opposition Regions Party issued a statement on its website accusing the Tymoshenko government of excessive ambition, which Ukrainians will pay for through closed factories, unemployment, and cold homes.

　

与此同时，天然气问题在乌克兰已经成了一个政治游戏。乌克兰反对派地区党在其网站上发表了一份声明，指责季莫申科政府野心过大，乌克兰人民将为此付出代价，包括工厂关门、失业和没有供暖的房屋。

Oleksiy Hudyma says the previous government of Viktor Yanukovcyh, the head of the Regions Party, did not leave Ukraine with substantial energy reserves. But Hudyma notes that temperatures are unseasonably warm, and Ukrainians have the discipline to see through this latest energy crisis.

　

古德马议员说，地区党领袖亚努科维奇领导的上届政府没有给乌克兰留下足够的能源储备。但是，古德马指出，今年的天气反常的暖和，而且乌克兰人民能够通过自律来坚持度过这场最新的能源危机。

In 2006, European gas deliveries suffered after Russia cut Ukraine's supplies during a debt dispute.

　

2006年，俄罗斯在和乌克兰的一场债务纠纷中切断了对乌克兰的天然气供应，影响到了向欧洲输送的天然气。