RPT-Q+A-New factors drive Russia-Ukraine gas rhetoric
(Repeats to add link to graphic on pipelines)
KIEV, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Europe is bracing itself for the possibility of another New Year gas row between Russia and Ukraine, which last year led to supply cuts, leaving hundreds of thousands out in the cold and grinding some industry to a halt.
A contract signed after January's three-week standoff should have clarified gas relations between the two countries and ensured there were no more rows about prices and supplies. This year, Ukraine has paid all its bills on time.
But analysts say the potential for a dispute ahead of a Ukrainian presidential election on Jan. 17 exists and, if it happens, it will be sparked purely by political motivation.
WHY SHOULD EUROPE CARE?
Europe receives about 20 percent of its gas from Russia flowing through pipelines running across Ukraine. Some southern and eastern countries are almost entirely dependent on the gas.
Russia cut gas supplies to Ukraine and, later, onwards to Europe as of Jan. 1 over a gas pricing dispute.
As Ukraine ate into its vast reserves and felt little impact from the cuts, European leaders were shocked that a dispute between two non-EU members could impact its own citizens.
In Slovakia, hundreds of companies were forced to shut down or cut production, thousands of people were left without heating in the Balkans and Bulgaria characterised the supply cuts as "catastrophic", likening it to a "terrorist attack".
For a graphic on gas pipelines in Europe, please see:
WHAT WAS THE DISPUTE ABOUT?
Ostensibly, the row was about how much Ukraine should pay for Russian gas after a year of settling bills late. Like many former Soviet republics, Ukraine paid subsidised prices but Moscow wanted its neighbours to start paying market prices. Continued...
