BBC News - Slovakia and Ukraine agree a gas supply deal

NoBC4U Note: Going back 2 months for this one...

Slovakia and Ukraine have agreed a deal that will allow gas from Central Europe to reach Ukraine via Slovakia.

Under the deal Slovakia will reinstate a disused pipeline that will be capable of supplying 3 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas a year to Ukraine.

Ukraine has been looking for alternatives to Russian gas, which last year accounted for around a half of its 55bcm consumption.

In April, German energy firm RWE began deliveries of gas via Poland.

Under that deal RWE can supply up to 10bcm of gas a year.

Russia has almost doubled the price of gas for Ukraine, following the toppling of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovich in February.

Also, Ukraine owes Russian gas firm, Gazprom $2.2bn (£1.3bn) for supplies of gas.

The two nations are in dispute over that debt and Ukrainian officials are concerned that Gazprom could just cut off the nation's supply of gas.

Complete story at - BBC News - Slovakia and Ukraine agree a gas supply deal

​Slovak PM: Growing inflow of illegal Ukrainian migrants to Slovakia raises concern — RT News

Amid Ukraine’s looming political crisis, thousands of illegal immigrants from the country may soon flood its neighboring country – Slovakia, a tendency which raises concern, says the Slovakian prime minister.

“We can speak of thousands of illegal migrants from Ukraine who are motivated to cross the Schengen borders in our or other zones,” said Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico at the GLOBSEC annual conference in the country’s capital, Bratislava, reported Itar-Tass.

Meanwhile, organized criminal groups have recently been stepping up illegal transportation of migrants across the Slovak-Ukrainian border, according to Mr Fico.

Slovakia borders Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region in the West. This is Ukraine’s shortest border - only 98 km long.

In February, Jozef Danko, spokeman for the Slovakian village of Vysne Nemecke on the border with Ukraine, told Voice of Russia radio that the inflow of vehicles from Ukraine has recently increased, not only from the nearest cities which border Vysne Nemecke but also from other parts of Ukraine.

Complete story at - ​Slovak PM: Growing inflow of illegal Ukrainian migrants to Slovakia raises concern — RT News