New efforts to break Russia-Ukraine gas deadlock

By Oleg Shchedrov and Yuri Kulikov

MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) - New efforts to break the deadlock between Russia and Ukraine and restore gas supplies to freezing European countries were planned on Friday, with the intervention in the dispute of a consortium of energy firms.

Paolo Scaroni, chief executive of Italian energy giant Eni SpA said late on Thursday the consortium would provide gas necessary for technical reasons to get pipelines and pumping stations working again.

The move could allow gas supplies to Europe to get under way immediately, leaving the question of reimbursement for the consortium's gas on hold until an agreement between Ukraine and Russia on their price dispute is reached.

Scaroni said the consortium would include E.ON, Gaz de France Suez and an Austrian company.

Eni is Europe's leading gas operator and largest user of the Ukraine pipeline. Scaroni discussed the consortium idea with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

Putin and Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko plan to meet in Moscow on Saturday to try to resolve the gas row, which has cut supplies to 18 states in the depths of winter, forcing many factories to close and leaving householders shivering.

There was little enthusiasm in Brussels for a separate Moscow meeting with importers proposed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. But the EU executive said it and the Czechs -- holders of the rotating EU presidency -- would attend if Russian and Ukrainian leaders were there too.

Frustration is growing in the EU at the failure of Russia and its former Soviet vassal Ukraine to resolve the row over how much Kiev should pay Moscow for gas, or at least allow gas to flow to Europe while they argue it out.