BRUSSELS, January 2 (RIA Novosti, Alexander Shishlo) - Unresolved dispute between Russia and Ukraine on natural gas deliveries to and via Ukraine may possibly result in a short-term increase in the world market natural gas prices, a spokesman for the Belgian gas company Distrigas said Monday.
Thierry Rotsart said the decrease of Russian natural gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine, due to latter's allegedly siphoning of gas, did not affect Belgium, since the country imports gas from the Netherlands, Norway and Algeria.
On Monday Alexander Medvedev, the deputy head of Russian energy giant Gazprom, said Ukraine had stolen 100 million cu m of Russian natural gas worth over $25 million on January 1, 2006.
Gazprom began reducing pressure in the natural gas pipeline January 1, 2006 after Ukraine declined to sign a contract for deliveries in 2006 at the market price of $230 per 1,000 cu m. The average EU charge is $240.
