The Kremlin has announced a deadline for the Ukrainian government to pay part of its fuel debt to Moscow or the flow of Russian gas to its neighboring country would be halted.
President Vladimir Putin has said Russia sees no reason why its relationship with the West can’t normalize, amid growing tension between the opposing camps over the ongoing political crisis in Ukraine.
Europe will have trouble weaning itself off Russian natural gas, analysts say, as it faces declining production at home and Asian competition for supplies.