1.原文连结(必须检附)：
http://time.com/3550307/ukraine-moscow-clinch-deal-on-russian-gas-supply/
2.原文内容：
“There is now no reason for people in Europe to stay cold this winter,” he
said. Barroso added that he was “hopeful that the agreement can contribute
to increase trust between Russia and Ukraine.”
EU energy chief Guenther Oettinger said that “we can guarantee a security of
supply over the winter,” not only for Ukraine but also for the EU nations
closest to the region that stood to suffer should the gas standoff have
worsened.
A similar standoff in 2009 had caused serious disruptions in gas flowing from
Russia into the EU and it was a prospect the bloc sought to avoid.
The agreement long hinged on the question whether Ukraine was in a position
to come up with the necessary cash to pay for the gas. “Yes, they are,” a
confident Oettinger said. Oettinger said the $4.6 billion deal should extend
through March.
“We can claim and pay for amounts that we need. That question has been
totally settled,” said Yuriy Prodan, Ukrainian Minister for Energy. “There
will be no problems.”
Under the deal, Ukraine would pay for its outstanding debt by making a $1.45
billion deposit without delay, and $1.65 billion by year’s end. The final
sum of debt would be determined through arbitration.
For new gas, Russia will only deliver after pre-payment and Ukraine intends
to buy some $1.5 billion by the end of December.
The EU said in a statement it had been “working intensively” with
international institutions and Ukraine to secure funds to pay for gas
delivery in the coming winter.
“Unprecedented levels of EU aid will be disbursed in a timely manner,” it
said.
The deal only stretches through March and the difficulties of the talks were
immediately evident when the Russians and Ukrainians started disagreeing on
terms and prices of gas for next summer.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Petro
Poroshenko, agreed earlier this month on the broad outline of a deal, but
financial issues, centering on payment guarantees for Moscow, had long bogged
down talks.
But with each week, the need for a resolution becomes more pressing, since
winter is fast approaching in Ukraine, where temperatures often sink below
freezing for days.
Russia cut off gas supplies to Ukraine in June after disputes over Russia’s
annexation of Crimea in March. Ukraine since then has been relying on gas
transfers from other European countries and its own reserves.
3.心得/评论(必需填写)：
欧洲冬天松口气