EU urges Ukraine to rule out erratic payments for Russian gas
BRUSSELS. Nov 5 (Interfax) - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has discussed Russian gas transit, the current economic situation and Ukraine's request for assistance in combating swine flu by telephone with Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, sources in the European Commission told Interfax on Thursday.
Nothing must block the Ukrainian system of payments for Russian gas, which is of absolute importance, Barroso said.
The European Commission president urged Yushchenko to do all he can to remove barriers hindering payments, and to guarantee the implementation of Ukraine's transit obligations.
The European system must not get confronted with new disruptions in Russian gas transit across Ukraine, the European Commission said in a statement.
Barroso expressed concern about the IMF program for supporting Ukraine being not used properly. This could deeply affect Ukraine's economic stability, he said.
Barroso urged the Ukrainian president to work with the government and bring the conditions for implementing the IMF stabilization program back on the right track as soon as possible.