Ukraine's demand for bigger gas discounts takes situation into deadlock - Putin
NOVO-OGARYOVO. June 11 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believes that Kyiv is deliberately taking the situation into a deadlock by demanding more gas discounts.
"Judging by the information we are now getting from the parties, it's not even about the mechanisms, it's about the fact that our Ukrainian partners seem to find that these discounts are not enough and they want more. However, it's unclear on what grounds," Putin said during a meeting with government officials.
"If it's so, they are apparently deliberately taking the situation into a deadlock."
Putin reiterated that he has asked his European partners more than once to facilitate the gas talks. "We are conducting them in an absolutely open and transparent manner," he said, adding that the proposals made by Russia on gas are more than a partnership.
