TEMPO.CO, Washington - The United States has accused Russia of using Europe's reliance on its resources to strengthen its control over Ukraine. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki condemned "Russia's efforts to use energy as a tool of coercion."
Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote to 18 European countries warning of a "critical situation" if Ukraine does not pay for Russian gas soon. According to Russian oil giant Gazprom, Ukraine's debt has reached US$2.2 billion.
There are fears that tensions between Ukraine and Russia could trigger gas shortages in Europe as pipelines from Russia to Europe bypass Ukrainian territory.
The European Union has previously endured gas shortages, but said that they had additional supplies to handle any drastic action taken by Russia.
Washington is presently working with Ukraine on a financial aid package to break its reliance on Russia.
ANINGTIAS JATMIKA | BBC
