MOSCOW, FEBRUARY 18, RIA NOVOSTI - Gasprom Co., Russia's natural gas monopoly, fully suspended gas exports to Belarus today, 6 p.m., announced Sergei Kupriyanov, Gasprom chief of PR.
Responsibility entirely rests with Belarus as the Beltransgas, its government gas-piping company, has drastically cut Russian gas transits to the neighbouring Poland and Lithuania, he added.
The Trans Nafta, last of Russian-based companies to stop gas exports to Belarus, hopes the client will sign a new contract within hours, says Vladimir Kondrachuk, Trans Nafta Director General.
"We hope common sense will take the upper hand, and the contract will be signed within a few hours-or Belarus will have to stop its industrial companies working on an unbroken cycle, if it gets no gas," he remarked.
