A row over natural gas supply flared Friday between Russia and Ukraine, even as a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine appeared to be taking hold.
Both sides in the conflict have begun withdrawing their heavy weaponry from the front line in line with a peace deal agreed in Minsk, Belarus, two weeks ago.
There has also been a reduction in the fighting between the two sides, although some artillery fire can still be heard. But the ceasefire remains fragile.
A spokesman for Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko cited him as saying on Twitter: “We starting withdrawing only some of the heavy weaponry. Ukrainian military are ready to return the equipment to the front line any time.”
The leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Zacharchenko, said separatist forces there had withdrawn 90% of their heavy weapons.
But he also warned that they reserved the right to return the weapons to the front line if the authorities in Kiev did not keep their end of the bargain.
A CNN team on the ground saw a small convoy of artillery guns, flying the yellow-and-blue flag of Ukraine heading south out of the conflict zone on Thursday. The separatists began the withdrawal of heavy weapons a couple of days earlier.
Under the terms of the Minsk agreement, the two sides have until Monday to complete the withdrawal and create a buffer zone of at least 50 kilometers (31 miles) for heavy weapons.
Russia warns over gas supply
Meanwhile, Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak warned that Russian energy giant Gazprom could cut the supply of natural gas to its neighbor in the coming days if payment is not received.
Russia’s Tass state news agency said that Gazprom confirmed receiving $15 million Friday in prepayment from Ukraine. But that is enough to pay for only one day’s supply of natural gas, the news agency said.
A meeting between the European Union, Russia and Ukraine is due to take place in Brussels, Belgium, on Monday to discuss gas supply to Ukraine.
Russia has used gas as a weapon before, cutting off supplies to Ukraine three times in the past decade. A new dispute could have a knock-on effect on Europe. About a third of the European Union’s natural gas comes from Russia and 15% flows directly through Ukraine.
However, now the worst of winter is over, the threat of a halt in the supply of gas is less alarming than it was for Ukraine and for Europe.
In any case, Kiev has reserve gas supplies that could be used if the supply from Russia was stopped. Europe also has the option of reverse supply — sending gas back through pipelines into Ukraine.
The latest row comes against the backdrop of an EU investigation into Gazprom which is due to report soon. Europe has accused Gazprom of using its dominant position to manipulate prices and hinder the free flow of gas across the continent.
Lavrov: Need to consolidate weapons withdrawal
The developing situation in eastern Ukraine will be discussed at a U.N. Security Council meeting in New York on Friday.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Thursday that there had been a reduction in violence but that there were still violations of the ceasefire. She warned that Russia still faced the prospect of new financial sanctions if it did not act to support the peace deal.
Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of arming and training the separatists, as well as sending Russian troops over the border to fight with them. Russia denies the claims.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking at his ministry’s Diplomatic Academy, said: “Impartial observers, including the Organization for Co-operation and Security in Europe, have registered a significant reduction in the exchange of fire, so the ceasefire is nonetheless yielding a result.”
But he stressed that although there some progress has been seen in the withdrawal of heavy weapons, “it is important to consolidate it.”
He also warned that Ukraine must keep its non-aligned status “in order to keep the stability in Europe.”
Russia is unhappy about what it sees as NATO’s expansion toward its western border. Ukraine is not a NATO member but Baltic nations bordering Russia belong to the alliance and Georgia also hopes to join.