by Dan Alexe "Russia is creating problems for Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, said German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Merkel accused Russia on Sunday of interfering in the domestic affairs of those countries because they are seeking closer ties to the European Union. "Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine are three countries in our eastern neighbourhood that have taken sovereign decisions to sign an association agreement with the EU," Merkel told German daily Die Welt. "Russia is creating problems for all three of these countries," she said, pointing to "frozen conflicts" in breakaway regions like Transdniestria, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as Russian interference in eastern Ukraine. As energy ministers gather in Brussels today to discuss how to improve cross-border flows of electricity and gas, they will also tackle South Stream pipeline project, that Russian President Vladimir Putin said recently will be abandoned. On Sunday, Putin has discussed energy cooperation via phone with Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The Kremlin said Putin discussed "prospects of further interaction in the energy sector" in light of Russia's announcement last week to end the South Stream natural gas pipeline project. The pipeline would have gone under the Black Sea to Bulgaria and later delivered gas to both Hungary and Serbia. Belgrade had given strong support for the project, which the European Union said was in violation of some of the EU's antimonopoly laws. Putin had said that Russia may instead build a pipeline to Turkey and create a gas hub near the Turkish-Greek border to supply gas to Europe. Orban was criticized by U.S. Senator John McCain (Republican-Arizona) last week for "getting in bed with Vladimir Putin." In Kiev, Ukraine’s energy minister has said Russia will have to resume supplies of gas from December 8. Volodymyr Demchyshyn made the announcement after Kiev transferred a prepayment of $378 million to state-controlled Russian gas company Gazprom for gas shipments in December. Russia wants Ukraine to pay for gas in advance. Cf. also: Looking East. Russia diversifies customer base away from EU Russia's deputy minister for Foreign Affairs, Grigori Karasin, speaks to New Europe
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