VOG 2005 New Thread

Yushchenko calls for extension of Russian deadline for gas prices UPDATE

KIEV (AFX) - Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has called for an
extension of a Russian deadline for Kiev to accept a quadrupling of gas prices,
but Russia's state-controlled Gazprom immediately rejected the idea.
Yushchenko suggested to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a telegram that
negotiations continue up to Jan 10 and that during this time there should be "a
moratorium on price rises," a statement from the presidency said.
However, Gazprom, which says Ukraine must accept the steep price increase by
Sunday or face an immediate shut-off of gas supplies, rejected the idea, RIA
Novosti news agency reported.
"They want to freeze prices for ten days in January and then they will want
another ten," Gazprom representative Sergei Kupriyanov was quoted as saying.
(Updating with further detail)
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