The European Union told Russian President Vladimir Putin it is willing to hold talks with Moscow and Kyiv on gas security as the bloc scrambles to defuse a deep political crisis over Russia's annexation of Crimea. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, replying to a letter Putin sent last week to 18 EU countries, accepted Putin's proposal for three-way talks.
Reuters: EU agrees to Putin’s call for gas security talks
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned EU leaders a week ago that Russia would cut natural gas supplies to Ukraine if it did not pay its more than $2 billion gas debt and said this could lead to a reduction of onward deliveries to Europe.
