Russia can stop gas supplies to Ukraine before meeting in Brussels — energy minister

The is a possibility that Russia's gas supplies to Ukraine will be stopped before the meeting in Brussels planned for March 2, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told journalists at the Krasnoyarsk economic forum.
The minister said the gas supplies will continue only on condition that prepaymant by the Ukrainian side is made "one of these days".

Novak noted that Gazprom is aware the Ukrainian side has wired $15 million but the money hasn't been received by the Russian energy giant yet. As stated eralier, it takes around two days to credit a payment to Gazprom's accounts.
The minister earlier confirmed Russia's participation in the trilateral gas meeting in Brussels on March 2 that will discuss current gas supplies to Ukraine and ensuring its transit to the European Union.
"Yes, I have confirmed my participation and we plan to discuss in Brussels a whole range of our mutual relations and namely the implementation of the October 31 Brussels agreements," Novak said.
The talks will focus on the so-called winter package and Russia-EU energy dialogue, as well as gas supplies to the war-torn eastern Ukrainian regions. "I think that this issue will be touched upon, of course," Novak told a TASS correspondent.
Earlier this week, Vice President of the European Commission Maros Sefcovic invited the energy ministers of Russia and Ukraine, Alexander Novak and Vladimir Demchishin, for the three-way gas meeting in Brussels.