Ukraine calls EU to investigate gas transit issue

Yushchenko held talks with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in London late on Thursday to discuss energy security issues amid the protracted Russia-Ukraine gas conflict and insisted that Ukraine had not tapped Russian gas intended for Europe.

"I want everybody to know: Ukraine has not stolen and is not stealing gas. If this problem remains so acute, we are asking the European Commission to set up a special commission to investigate the issue of Russian supplies...and most important - to find out whether Ukraine was tapping Russian gas supplies to Europe," the president's press service quoted Yushchenko as saying.

The president also said Ukraine is ready at any time to pump Russian gas to Europe even before the dispute over gas and transit prices between Kiev and Moscow is resolved. Ukraine has already given Moscow state guarantees on uninterrupted gas transits to European customers, he said.