2006年VOA标准英语-Russia, Ukraine Reach Interim Deal on Gas Price

By Lisa McAdams
Moscow
16 August 2006

Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Fradkov, say they have reached agreement on the price Kiev will pay Moscow for natural gas.  But the two leaders failed to secure terms for 2007, raising concerns of possible renewed price hikes. 

----------

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine's Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, right, shake hands as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, left, looks on during a meeting in southern Russia on Tuesday

In his first foreign visit to Russia as Ukraine's new prime minister, Viktor Yanukovych was tasked with discussing gas prices, one of the most sensitive issues facing Moscow and Kiev since their so-called gas war broke out at the start of this year.  At that time, Russia halted supplies to Ukraine during an especially grueling winter in order to exact higher fuel prices, a move the United States later criticized as political blackmail¹.

The move also caused widespread disruption in Europe, which receives more than 25 percent of its natural gas supply from pipelines² passing through Ukraine.  Shortly thereafter, pressure mounted on both sides to come to terms for the benefit of long-term stability.

In a joint³ press conference with reporters following their talks in Sochi, Prime Minister Fradkov said Russia has a strong desire to resolve the pricing issue, though he says it will not be easy.

Mr. Fradkov also echoed President Putin's long-standing view that Russian oil and gas prices must be market-based.

Some had hoped that Mr. Yanukovych, who hails from Ukraine's pro-Russian east and whose unsuccessful bid for the presidency⁴ in 2004 was widely supported by Moscow, might be able to secure more favorable terms for Kiev, including a possible lowering of prices.  But there was no immediate⁵ indication of that from Mr. Yanukovych.

In comments broadcast on Russian television, Mr. Yanukovych said, without elaborating, that a rough price had been struck through the end of this year.

Both leaders also stressed that future pricing would be what they described as "transparent⁶."  It was also agreed that Russia and Ukraine will pump 24.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas reserves into underground storage facilities in Ukraine to ensure unhindered supplies.

Now paying two times more than before, or roughly $95 per 1,000 cubic meters, Ukraine still pays the lowest price for Russian gas of all the former Soviet⁷ Republics, with the exception of Belarus. 

If gas prices rise to the current market price of $230 (per 1,000 cubic meters), there could be serious risks to Ukraine's economy, as well as to Mr. Yanukovych's newly-restored political clout⁸.

1 blackmail   

n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓

参考例句：

• She demanded ＄1000 blackmail from him.她向他敲诈了1000美元。
• The journalist used blackmail to make the lawyer give him the documents.记者讹诈那名律师交给他文件。

2 pipelines   

管道( pipeline的名词复数 )； 输油管道； 在考虑（或规划、准备） 中； 在酿中

参考例句：

• The oil is carried to the oil refinery by pipelines. 石油通过输油管输送到炼油厂。
• The oil carried in pipelines. 石油用管道输送。

3 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

4 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

5 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

6 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

7 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

8 clout   

n.用手猛击；权力，影响力

参考例句：

• The queen may have privilege but she has no real political clout.女王有特权，但无真正的政治影响力。
• He gave the little boy a clout on the head.他在那小男孩的头部打了一下。