MOSCOW — A natural gas payment dispute between Russia and Ukraine that had been casting a shadow over European energy markets appeared to be winding down on Friday, as both sides agreed to European-brokered negotiations next week in Brussels.
A key sticking point had already been cleared up on Thursday when Russia’s Gazprom, for unexplained reasons, quietly backed away from its insistence that Ukraine pay for the fuel Gazprom was sending to the Kiev government’s enemies, the rebel movements in eastern Ukraine.
For now, that demand would be set aside, a Gazprom spokesman, Sergei Kupriyanov, said.
“We are ready at the moment to exclude our gas supplies to Donbass from our discussions,” he said, referring to the Donets Basin, the contested industrial and coal-mining district of the east.
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Raphael Minder contributed reporting from Madrid
Raphael Minder contributed reporting from Madrid
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