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Europe expected this Sunday the resumption of Russian gas supplies, with the agreement reached last night by the Czech presidency of the European Union (EU) with Russia and Ukraine to deploy observers to monitor the transit of gas.

After three days of intense and difficult diplomatic negotiations, first in Brussels and then in Kiev and Moscow, the president of the EU, the Czech prime minister Mirek Topolanek, finally managed to convince the leaders of Russian and Ukrainian sign an agreement. However, on Sunday morning, the Russian giant Gazprom warned that it had not yet received the signed copy.

The teams of European observers, Russians and Ukrainians, were on Sunday morning on his way to the control of gas stations, which will have the task of ensuring that there is no illegal removal. On Wednesday, Russia had justified the court's total supply alleging "theft" by Ukraine.

The document, signed by Russia, Ukraine and the EU foresees the creation of a "group of 25 experts from each side. The group must control both the Russian and Ukrainian territory," said the Ukrainian presidency. "Information on the results of the traffic control will be transmitted in real time to the competent structures of Kiev, Brussels and Moscow," he said.


"If everybody is working 100%, the supply may resume on Sunday," said Czech Minister of Industry and Commerce, Martin rhyme, which negotiated on behalf of the EU. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that Russia will restore the gas supply to Europe "immediately" once set in motion the mechanism for control of transit through Ukraine.

But for now, the Russians were not responsible official date set for Sunday. However, EU leaders warned that once the floodgates open for gas, European customers will take about three days to recover the gas.


Several countries in the Balkans and Central Europe, which had no reserves, have had serious difficulties this week to supply energy to its people and industry, while just a terrible cold snap across the continent. Some countries have agreed to sell gas to its neighbors as emergency mechanism.

While Europe has secured a return to normalcy, between Moscow and Kiev, the fundamental problem remains intact: no government wants to give his arm a twist on the issue of tariff for the gas that Ukraine must pay in 2009 or the alleged it has assumed debt default in Russia.


Moscow and Kiev "have not reached any agreement after three days of negotiations," lamented on Saturday the president of the Ukrainian national oil company, Naftogaz, Oleg Dubina, returning from a reunion in Russia with the heads of Russian giant Gazprom.

On Sunday, the Russian press was critical to the agreement, arguing that both countries were disadvantaged in relation to Europe. "Ukraine was left without gas, Russia without both transit and quickly head down to a frozen Europe", underlined the economic newspaper Vedemosti.


The gas dispute has become a war of propaganda "that Europe will work to stop being dependent on energy from Russia, said the newspaper Kommersant. "No doubt the EU will try to find ways to reduce dependency on Russian gas supply to avoid a repetition of such crises in the future," he added.