No Gas Deal Reached Between Kyiv And Moscow

European Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger says talks will continue after seven hours of negotiations in Brussels.No deal has been reached between Ukraine and Russia to settle Kyiv's outstanding energy bills and agree on a price for future gas deliveries, rferl.org reports. 

Moscow threatened to cut of gas supplies to Ukraine on June 10 if Kyiv didn't pay but an immediate energy crisis in Europe has been averted for a while as the parties decided to meet again either on June 10 or 11 in Brussels.

The talks between the two countries' energy ministers and the EU Energy Commissioner in the Belgian capital lasted for seven hours but the Ukrainian minister Yuriy Prodan said that no steps forward had been made since they last met a week ago.

EU officials told RFE/RL that a structure for debt payment is close to being agreed, but that the gap in the gas price, which range from Kyiv's desire to pay 268 dollars per 1000 cubic meters and Moscow's demand of 485 dollars, still is wide.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said he had proposed "a very constructive plan," including how to make outstanding payments for November and December last year by June 10 and for a certain amount of the debt for April and May to be paid.