Gazprom
ORG
Gazprom
President Vladimir V. Putin told Russia's natural gas monopoly, Gazprom, on Saturday to continue selling subsidized gas to Ukraine until the end of March if Ukraine agrees to pay market prices beginning in April. Mr. Putin's order, delivered on national television as Gazprom threatened to cut off gas exports for Ukraine beginning on Jan. 1, put Russia's president in the center of a dispute that has caused Europe to worry whether its gas supply will be disrupted in the January chill. The European Union, which has member states that rely on Gazprom for much of their gas supply, has called for a meeting of energy officials on Jan. 4. The call reflects worries that Europe's gas imports, much of which pass through Ukraine's pipelines, could be threatened.