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EU to Hold Gas Talks With Russia and Ukraine Next Week

European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic speaks during Energy Union conference in Riga Feb. 6, 2015.

BRUSSELS — Russia, Ukraine and the EU will hold talks in Brussels on Monday to discuss problems with gas supplies to Ukraine, the EU said.

European Commission spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen tweeted Thursday that the talks between EU energy chief Maros Sefcovic and the energy ministers of Russia and Ukraine were confirmed for Monday.

Itkonen had said earlier that Sefcovic had invited Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Demchyshyn for talks, but was awaiting confirmation that they would take part.

A Russian Energy Ministry official said earlier she was not able to confirm whether Moscow has agreed to take part in the meeting yet. "We are talking by phone at the moment," she said.

President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday that Russia would halt gas supplies to Ukraine if it did not receive advance payment, raising the possibility of onward deliveries to Europe being disrupted for the fourth time in a decade.

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