Politics of Ukraine

The European Commission is ready to discuss the South Stream gas pipeline project at the trilateral meeting of the EU, Russia and Ukraine on September 26 in Berlin, according to Marlene Holzner, Spokesperson for the EU Energy Commissioner.

A total of 4.88 billion cubic meters of gas was injected in European underground gas depots in the first three weeks of September, according to data of the Association of the European operators of underground gas storages (GSE).

Romania cannot take legal steps against Gazprom for reducing the supply of natural gas, because imports are operated by intermediate companies, also controlled by Russia, Minister Delegate for Energy Razvan Nicolescu said in an interview to the RFI radio station on Wednesday.

Bulgaria on Wednesday welcomed the ratification of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement which it expects will help Kiev build strong political and economic ties with the bloc.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk accused Russia of trying to destroy Ukraine as an independent country and attempting to restore the USSR, reports Reuters. 

In Yatsenyuk's words, only NATO could defend Ukraine from external aggression. 

Prime Minister Victor Ponta assured on Friday that Romania has sufficient gas reserves, but underscored the need for Romania to exploit its own gas deposits to no longer depend on Russia's Gazprom.

Austria announced Thursday a 15% decrease in deliveries of Russian gas.

It is yet to be established if the reason for the decline was technical, such as a damaged compressor station, or political.

At the same time, sources of Austrian energy group OMV said it had been informed by Russian partners about a supply reduction.

Gas flow from Russian state-owned energy company Gazprom to Slovakia contracted 10 percent on Thursday, a top gas supplying company in the country has announced.

Slovakia's SPP has confirmed that supplies have been reduced, the Wall Street Journal and the Ukrainian website ZN.ua report.

Russian energy concern Gazprom is to slash gas deliveries to Poland by 24 percent, Polish state company PGNiG has announced.

Gazprom has not yet commented on the information, but experts suggest the step comes in retaliation to the prospect of new EU measures against Moscow.

Supplies dropped by 20% on Monday, according to PGNiG officials.

Plenkovic said on Monday that the delegation would show solidarity with Ukraine and support "the European choice of the Ukrainian people".

His appointment comes amid continued violence in the country which erupted after pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in February after weeks of protests against his decision not to sign an Association Agreement with the EU.