European Union energy ministers met here on Monday to discuss ways to help member states hit hard by the Ukraine-Russia gas dispute.
The emergency meeting is to discuss the current gas row as well as the speeding up of some legislative measures to boost European energy security, Czech Industry Minister Martin Riman said on Sunday.
It will also address the issue of diversifying Europe's energy supplies, including building new pipelines and finding new suppliers so as to become less dependent on Russia.
Russia cut off gas supplies to Europe on Wednesday after negotiations with Ukraine over gas prices broke down, and it accused Ukraine of siphoning gas destined for other European nations.
Ukraine denied the charge, saying Russia was trying to discredit Ukraine as a reliable gas transit partner.
The complete cutoff of Russian gas supplies to the EU has led to a gas crisis in as many as 18 EU countries, mostly in central and eastern Europe, as Russia supplies about a quarter of the gas consumed in the EU, and some 80 percent of it is transported through Ukraine.
Factories have been shut down, schools closed and thousands of people left without gas for heating in freezing winter in some EU countries.
Source:Xinhua
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