VOA标准英语2009年-Ukraine Hit With Gas Cut-Off

Russia has stopped delivery of natural gas to Ukraine after the failure of last minute talks to reach agreement on a price for 2009. Both sides offer assurances that gas will continue to transit¹ from Russia through pipelines³ in Ukraine to consumers in Western Europe.
　

Sergei Kupriyanov, Russia's state gas monopoly spokesman, shows a letter from Ukraine's state gas company Naftogaz, in Moscow, 31 Dec 2008

Ukraine's Naftohaz gas company confirms the volume of fuel on its end of the pipeline² from Russia has been reduced. Gazprom, the Russian state gas monopoly, reduced the flow at 10:00 AM Moscow time at a compressor station in Kursk near the Ukrainian border. Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov says talks aimed at signing a delivery contract for the New Year ended late Wednesday without success.

Kupriyanov says the main problem is not the inability to agree on the price of gas, but rather that the Naftohaz delegation⁵ at the talks did not have a mandate⁶ to sign a new contract.

A press spokesman for Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko did not have an immediate⁷ comment on the ongoing⁸ dispute. However, a statement on the Ukrainian presidential Web site signed by Mr. Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko indicates price remains⁹ an issue.

According to the statement, a Russian offer of $250 per 1,000 cubic meter factors in the global drop in oil prices and would give Ukraine a Central European price for natural gas. But the statement claims Russia is seeking to keep a pipeline transit price of $1.70 per 1,000 cubic meters for every 100 kilometers, which would be more than two times lower than the Central European average, and would make adequate pipeline maintenance virtually impossible. Ukraine is proposing a transit fee of no less than $2, and seeks a price of $201 per 1,000 cubic meters. Its price last year was $179.

The official statement says Ukraine has adequate reserves to guarantee that no family will go without heat. Ukrainian leaders also guarantee that transport of Russian gas to Western Europe via Ukrainian pipelines will continue without disruption.

Sergei Kupriyanov says that while the volume of gas has been reduced for Ukrainian consumers by 110 million cubic meters, it has been increased for Western Europe.

The spokesman says export delivery of gas through Ukraine has been increased by about 20 million cubic meters to 326 million every 24 hours.

Kupriyanov told an early afternoon news conference in Moscow that Russia is prepared to sign a new contract with Ukraine at any time. Soon after he spoke⁴, a spokesman for the Ukrainian president said members of the administration were in a meeting to discuss the gas issue.

1 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。

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 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。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

6 mandate   

n.托管地；命令，指示

参考例句：

• The President had a clear mandate to end the war.总统得到明确的授权结束那场战争。
• The General Election gave him no such mandate.大选并未授予他这种权力。

7 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。

8 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。