Russia, Ukraine sign gas deal

MOSCOW — Russia and Ukraine pledged to restore natural gas supplies to Europe after signing deals to end a bitter dispute that led to a chilling two-week cutoff of shipments.

The head of Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom ordered the taps turned on at 10 a.m. Moscow time Tuesday for deliveries of Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine.

Europeans, who normally get about one-fifth of their gas from Russia via Ukrainian pipelines, waited anxiously for the fuel to start flowing.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Tymoshenko signed the documents at Putin's government headquarters on the Moscow river on Monday evening. They resulted from an outline agreement the two prime ministers had clinched in late-night talks Sunday as heads of Russia's state-run natural gas monopoly Gazprom and the Ukraine's Naftogaz.

"As a result of intensive and lengthy talks we have reached agreement on all issues concerning natural gas supply to Ukraine and its transit to Europe," Putin said. He said Gazprom had been instructed to resume shipments bound for Europe that had been halted since Jan. 7 as Moscow and Kiev argued over 2009 gas prices and allegations that Ukraine was stealing gas destined for Europe.

Before dawn Tuesday, Gazprom chief Alexei Miller ordered the company to coordinate with Ukraine's Naftogaz to ensure the neighboring countries' pipeline systems are synchronized to get the gas flowing. He spoke after further talks with Tymoshenko and Naftogaz chief Oleh Dubina at Gazprom's Moscow headquarters.

In televised footage, Dubina also issued an order to his company by telephone.

The Interfax news agency cited Tymoshenko as saying that Gazprom had already sent gas destined for Europe early Tuesday.

Officials have said the restored gas shipments could take up to 36 hours to cross Ukraine, which is the size of France, and reach European customers.

After Monday's agreements, EU officials frustrated by the lengthy cutoff were taking a wait-and-see attitude.

"We now need an indication of the precise time that gas deliveries will be resumed. Our monitors will verify when the gas actually starts to flow," the European Commission said.

The confrontation has deeply shaken Europeans' trust in both Russia and Ukraine as reliable energy suppliers — something each has repeatedly insisted it is, while blaming the other for the supply cutoff.

More than 15 nations have been forced to scramble for alternative sources of energy. The dispute was further complicated by geopolitical struggles over Ukraine's future and over lucrative export routes for the energy riches of the former Soviet Union.