ARI SHAPIRO, host:
It's Europe's worst energy crisis ever. Factories and hospitals have shut down in Slovakia and Hungary, and in Bulgaria, hundreds of thousands of people are without heat. This is because Russia decided to cut gas supplies that run through Ukraine. NPR's Moscow correspondent Gregory Feifer reports on efforts to resolve the crisis.
GREGORY FEIFER: There was diplomatic drama in Brussels yesterday, where the CEO of Russia's Gazprom met the head of Ukraine's energy company and EU leaders bent on getting gas flowing back to Europe. Europe depends on Russia for a quarter of its gas, most of which crosses Ukraine. Russia shut off those supplies on Wednesday, accusing Ukraine of stealing them. Kiev denies the accusation. Yesterday, Gazprom said supplies to Europe could be restored if the EU would send monitors to verify gas flows through Ukraine. Kiev said it agreed to the monitors, but at the last minute, Moscow insisted on Russian observers taking part, and the deal fell apart. Meanwhile, there's been no sign of movement on the underlying price dispute that's caused the crisis.
Prime Minister VLADIMIR PUTIN (Russia): (Russian spoken).
FEIFER: In Moscow yesterday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Russia wasn't budging from its insistence Ukraine pay more than double what Kiev says it's prepared to pay for Russian gas. Putin lashed out against Kiev, accusing the Ukrainian leadership of incompetence. This is also a bitter political dispute. Many believe Moscow wants to punish pro-Western Ukraine for its drive to join NATO. But despite all the charges and countercharges, there are reports a temporary deal may have been reached to get gas flowing to Europe. After telephone talks between Putin and his Czech and German counterparts, the European Commission said it would send monitors to Ukraine today. Moscow and Kiev are expected to continue talks today, but it may take days for gas to start flowing to a continent held hostage by Moscow's dispute with its former Soviet neighbor. Gregory Feifer, NPR News, Moscow.