/ world today news/ Prime Minister Orbán declared against the European Energy Union
Hungary arranged for cheaper gas from Russia. This was announced by “Bloomberg” after the meeting in Budapest between Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Orban announced that he had agreed with Putin that his country would not pay nearly 3 billion euros for unused volumes of gas under a 20-year contract that expires this year. He added that the new arrangement for gas supplies for 5 years makes the conclusion of a new contract unnecessary, which will also avoid the establishment of a firm price in the conditions of a volatile market. Hungary will pay $260 for 1,000 cubic meters of gas, compared to an average price of $270 for Europe. In addition, the Russian company will also cancel the “take or pay” rule for Budapest, which it imposes on all its other customers, including Bulgaria.
The Hungarian prime minister also said he would not support the EU’s plans to pursue a single energy policy. He told reporters he would oppose amending EU treaties to create an “energy union” and added that his country would refrain from re-exporting Russian gas to Ukraine. This “will mean that the EU will interfere in bilateral relations”, he argued. “For us, this means giving up our sovereignty”. Orbán has repeatedly cited his country’s dependence on Russian gas as a reason not to introduce tougher sanctions against Russia. Budapest receives 60% of its natural gas from Russia.
Rumor of a lot of “blue fuel” in the Black Sea
The Romanian oil company Petrom and the American giant ExxonMobil have discovered a huge new gas field in the Black Sea, the media in our northern neighbor reported. The two companies continue exploration using the Pelikan probe. It is located in the Neptune region of the Black Sea, writes “Ziarul Financiar”. The newspaper claims that it is a deposit with a capacity of 20 billion cubic meters. Petrom and ExxonMobil, however, reject reports of a new gas field. In 2013, the consumption of “blue fuel” in Romania amounted to about 12.5 billion cubic meters.
Moscow gives “blue fuel” to Donbas
Russian Prime Minister Dimitriy Medvedev proposed to the Ministry of Energy and Gazprom to prepare supplies of natural gas to South-Eastern Ukraine as humanitarian aid. “I would like the Ministry of Energy and Gazprom to prepare a proposal for the provision of humanitarian aid in the form of natural gas, in case actions are not taken on the gas supply according to the usual scheme,” said the Prime Minister. On Thursday, DPR head of state Andrey Purgin announced that it was already receiving gas from Russia, with deliveries starting overnight between February 18 and 19.
Kyiv asked for blue helmets
They appointed a sixth-generation Greek as mayor of Debaltsevo
The National Security Council of Ukraine (NSC) approved President Petro Poroshenko’s request to invite a UN peacekeeping mission to the country. The decision is expected to be supported by the parliament, but Russia rejected it in advance with the argument that it contradicts the Minsk agreements.
According to Kiev, the deployment of the peacekeepers will allow to fix and localize violations of the ceasefire. During the operation in Debaltsevo, 3088 Ukrainian soldiers died. More than 90 were captured, the whereabouts of another 82 are unknown, the press service of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) said. In the last day alone, 14 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and 173 wounded in the eastern part of the country.
At the same time, the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, said that Debaltsevo had been “cleansed” of “illegal armed formations”, which included even foreigners. Swedes and Frenchmen fought among the volunteers of the Ukrainian “Azov” regiment, as well as foreign instructors who used foreign equipment – assault rifles and communication devices, reported RIA Novosti.
After the withdrawal of the Ukrainian army in Debaltsevo, the restoration of life began. By decree of Zakharchenko, a special commission was appointed for the reconstruction of the destroyed city. Alexander Afendikov was appointed mayor. At his first press conference, he appeared in a military uniform with the Greek flag on his left sleeve and explained that he is a sixth-generation Greek, as there are quite a few Greeks in southern Ukraine around Mariupol.
The leaders declared a ceasefire
The situation in Debaltsevo is in violation of the Minsk agreements, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in a conference call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The withdrawal of heavy weapons under the supervision of the OSCE can begin only if a “comprehensive” ceasefire is reached,” Poroshenko stressed. German government spokesman Stefan Seibert, for his part, indicated that the four leaders had agreed to implement the Minsk ceasefire agreements in Ukraine despite serious violations in recent days. It was agreed that there would be a meeting of the foreign ministers from the “Normandy Four” this week.
#Hungary #arranged #cheap #Russian #gas #OVERVIEW
