Putin Declares Easter Ceasefire in Ukraine War
The Kremlin has announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an “Easter ceasefire” in the war in Ukraine, declaring a temporary halt in hostilities lasting around 36 hours
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Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission have failed to reach agreement on the issue of winter gas supplies to Kiev.
The major stumbling block in the 12-hour talks was Ukraine’s debt, according to reports of the Bulgarian National Radio.
Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak informed that the three sides had agreed late on Wednesday to continue consultations on Thursday.
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller, as cited by ITAR-TASS, warned that the new round of talks could collapse and urged the European Commission to guarantee the payment of Ukraine’s debt.
Russia insists that Ukraine pay in advance for 4 billion cubic meters of gas at a price of USD 385 per 1000 cubic meters.
Russia also demands the payment of Ukraine’s USD 4.5 B debt for gas supplies already delivered.
The talks in Brussels coincided with decreases in deliveries of Russian gas to several countries in Central Europe.
Bulgaria was also affected by the measure.
Bulgaria’s Energy Ministry informed that 1 million cubic meters of gas a day had been taken out of the Chiren underground gas storage for several days in a row.
The Energy Ministry said that there has been no official explanation for the decrease in gas shipments, the unofficial reason being technological problems in Ukraine’s infrastructure.
Bulgaria’s fuel market has recorded a sharp upward shift since the outbreak of the war in Iran, with diesel and petrol prices rising significantly across the country
The second exploration drilling in the Krum-1 area of the Khan Asparuh block in Bulgaria’s Black Sea has also failed to identify commercially significant natural gas deposits, according to OMV Petrom
The Ombudswoman institution has voiced strong opposition to the proposed increase in heating prices in Sofia, which is expected to approach nearly 30 percent
The Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) in Bulgaria has set the price of natural gas for April 2026 at 34.27 euros per megawatt-hour, excluding access, transmission, excise duties and VAT
Fuel prices in Bulgaria have recorded a sharp upward movement over the past month, with diesel showing the most significant increase, according to data from the Fuelo platform
Bulgargaz has defended its previously submitted proposal for a 5% rise in natural gas prices for April before the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission, with CEO Veselin Sinabov stressing that there is currently no justification for any further increases
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