(16 Jan 2009) SHOTLIST
1. Mid shot of German, Russian and EU flag
2. Mid shot of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin getting out of car, zoom in to Putin greeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel
3. Wide of military honours
4. Mid shot of Putin and Merkel walking down red carpet, bowing heads to soldiers
5. Close-up of Putin and Merkel walking
6. Wide of Putin and Merkel walking to entrance of Federal Chancellery
7. Wide of Putin and Merkel arriving for press conference
8. Wide of journalists
9. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Vladimir Putin, Russian Prime Minister:
"If one talks about responsibility, certainly two sides are responsible. But the position of the EU, which puts Russia and Ukraine on equal ground, in fact means support for Ukraine, which has violated its transit obligations under the international energy charter which the Ukraine has signed and ratified."
10. Wide of press conference
11. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Vladimir Putin, Russian Prime Minister:
"As you know, I have met representatives of European energy companies which are the main buyers and consumers of Russian gas, and I think that we can reach interesting agreements now to end the blockade. Russia is very interested in finding a solution for the current situation, and this as soon as possible."
12. Mid shot of Putin and Merkel at press conference
13. SOUNDBITE: (German) Angela Merkel, German Chancellor:
"We also held critical talks with Ukraine about the question of who is responsible for the technical gas, but I have continuously underlined that it is also in the interest of Gazprom and Russia to get back to delivery fast, because otherwise a damage of trust automatically will occur. I think the European Union is acting very coherently here."
14. Mid shot of Putin and Merkel shaking hands, pull out to both leaving
STORYLINE:
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin pushed on Friday for a deal that would make European energy giants share costs of restoring and maintaining Russian gas supplies to an exasperated and increasingly frozen Europe.
Ten days into a natural gas shortage that has left over 15 European nations scrambling for alternative sources of energy, Russia and Ukraine are still deeply divided over what price Ukraine should pay for gas this year.
With each side blaming the other and seeking their own version to a solution, the pipelines have remained empty.
Putin accused the European Union of siding with Ukraine in the ongoing gas dispute between the two nations, amid deepening frustration in Europe over a lengthy cut-off of Russian gas supplies via Ukrainian pipelines.
Speaking to reporters after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as part of a whirlwind visit to Germany, Putin said that by apportioning equal blame for the crisis between Moscow and Kiev, the EU had sided with Ukraine.
He said the Ukraine's blocking of Russian gas from reaching Europe amounted to blackmail and that Russia would not tolerate it any longer.
"The position of the EU, which puts Russia and Ukraine on equal ground, in fact means support for Ukraine, which has violated its transit obligations under the international energy charter," Putin said. "We must put an end to that."
Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for the fallout from their dispute over gas prices, which has halted or reduced gas supplies to several countries in the 27-member European Union, among them Germany.
Putin also said European energy companies and Russia were close to creating a consortium that would finance the purchase of the "technical gas" that Ukraine needs to pump Russian gas supplies west to Europe over its vast pipeline network.
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