Minister: agreement on EU monitoring unlikely on Friday

An agreement on a European monitoring mission addressing the gas conflict between Ukraine and Russia is not likely to be signed on Friday, the Czech minister for industry and trade, Martin Říman, has revealed. He and Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek travelled to Ukraine on Friday for talks on how to resolve the continuing crisis. Details in the negotiations, however, remain. The EU – led by the Czech presidency – is working to try and ensure that monitoring groups will be deployed quickly to areas, for Russia to make gas supplies available again. Following negotiations in Kiev, the Czech prime minister will reportedly fly to Moscow later on Friday to meet with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.