VOA标准英语2009年-Russia Accuses Ukraine of Blackmail on Gas Tran

Russia and Ukraine have ended 2008 with an escalating¹ dispute over gas deliveries through a key pipeline² that supplies much of Western Europe. Each side is blaming the other for the dispute.

A spokesman for the Russian gas giant, Gazprom, held up a letter at a Moscow new conference on New Year's Eve that he says was signed by the head of Ukraine's gas company. He says the letter threatened to cut off supplies flowing through a pipeline that supplies Western Europe with 25 percent of its gas.
　

Gazprom Deputy Chairman Alexander Medvedev speaks in Moscow, 31 Dec. 2008

Gazprom's deputy chief, Alexander Medvedev referred to the Ukrainian letter as blackmail³ and unprecedented⁴ in the history of the international energy business. He added that Ukraine would be violating a contract it signed to continue deliveries to Western Europe through the end of 2010.

Medvedev says Ukrainians did not respond when asked directly why they do not want to honor the contract. He says Ukrainians insist there is no contract, even after they are shown signatures and laws, simply because they do not want an agreement.

A spokesman for Naftohaz, the Ukranian gas company, told VOA that its obligation extends only to a contractual framework for gas transit⁵ valid⁶ through 2013. However, Valentyn Zemliansky says agreement on specific issues is reached on an annual basis.

Zemliansky says additional agreements cover the volume and quality of gas, as well as transit costs, and he notes that an agreement on these items for 2009 has not been signed.

Senior Gazprom officials have made conflicting statements about the status of Ukrainian payment of its $2 billion debt to Gazprom. Gazprom chairman, Alexei Miller⁷, says the funds have yet to appear in company accounts. That statement came a day after Ukraine announced it had paid its obligations for November and December deliveries. However, a deputy to the Gazprom chairman, Alexander Medvedev, says payment has in fact been received.

Gazprom Chairman Alexei Miller has said there must be an agreement for Russia to have a legal basis to continue gas deliveries to Ukraine after January 1.

Gazprom has been seeking to increase Ukraine's price for gas in the New Year to $418 per 1,000 cubic meters, more than double the current rate.

In 2006, Western European consumers noticed a drop in gas pipeline pressure after Russia cut supplies to Ukraine in a similar mid-winter payment dispute.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukrainian relations with Russia and the European Union will suffer serious consequences if Kyiv disrupts supplies to Western Europe.

1 escalating   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的现在分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The cost of living is escalating. 生活费用在迅速上涨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cost of living is escalating in the country. 这个国家的生活费用在上涨。 来自辞典例句

2 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

3 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。

4 unprecedented   

adj.无前例的，新奇的

参考例句：

• The air crash caused an unprecedented number of deaths.这次空难的死亡人数是空前的。
• A flood of this sort is really unprecedented.这样大的洪水真是十年九不遇。

5 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

6 valid   

adj.有确实根据的；有效的；正当的，合法的

参考例句：

• His claim to own the house is valid.他主张对此屋的所有权有效。
• Do you have valid reasons for your absence?你的缺席有正当理由吗？

7 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。