Russia and Ukraine's Annual Gas Spat - TIME

Russia and Ukraine's Annual Gas Spat - TIME: "For decades, Russia's New Year has been marked by two traditions: eating Salade Olivier, a delicious salad named for French chef Lucien Olivier, who cooked at Moscow's Hermitage restaurant in the 1860s, and the 12 midnight chimes of the Kremlin Spasky Tower clock. Over the past three years, a new tradition seems to have taken hold: a New Year's spat with Ukraine over Russia's supply of natural gas.
This New Year proved no exception. In the buildup to Dec. 31, Russia accused Ukraine of having arrears of more than $2 billion on its expired gas contract. Ukraine said it had paid all its debt. Moscow said it would start charging a new price, which it presented as both the 'market' price and a 'preferential' rate — just $250, a rather sharp increase over the 2008 price of $179.50 per 1,000 cu m of gas. Ukraine said it could pay $201."