The European Union (EU) said on Monday that Russia had promised to resume gas supplies to the 27-nation bloc via Ukraine on Tuesday after a deal on the monitoring mission was finally agreed.
"After signing the agreement, the Russian side promised us that it will reopen the taps, if there are no obstacles, on Tuesday at 08:00 Central European Time (07:00 GMT)," said Czech Industry and Trade Minister Martin Riman, whose country holds the EU rotating presidency.
The Czech EU presidency said in a statement that the promise was given by Russian representatives following the signature by all parties to the agreement on monitoring the gas transit route.
"The signing of the terms of reference by all sides and with no reservations fulfilled the conditions for a prompt renewal of the flow of gas into the EU," Riman said before chairing an extraordinary meeting of EU energy ministers in Brussels.
The European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso also said the gas flow should resume "on Tuesday morning at the latest."
Ukraine re-signed the gas transit monitoring agreement early on Monday, removing an attachment of a declaration which was rejected by Russia and caused further delay in resumption of gas supplies to Europe.
Under the agreement, an international monitoring mission, composed of representatives from the EU, Russia and Ukraine, will check the Russian gas flow intended for Europe through Ukraine.
The EU said on Sunday that its monitors had already reached most of their destination points and were already starting their monitoring work, a key condition Russia has insisted on before resuming gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine pipelines.
Analysts said it could take 36 hours or more for gas to reach Europe even after Russia reopens the taps.
All Russian gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine were shut down on Wednesday as a row between Russia and Ukraine escalated, creating a supply crisis for a number of EU countries, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe.
Factories were shut down, schools closed and thousands of people left without gas for heating amid freezing winter weather.
Russia supplies about one-quarter of the EU's natural gas, and some 80 percent of it is transported through Ukraine.
Source:Xinhua
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