Talks to guarantee Russian gas imports into Ukraine throughout the winter are at an impasse as the rival nations consider the latest proposals to end the energy standoff.
An EU official says the negotiations, which were supposed to produce an agreement the evening before, broke up inconclusively early Thursday, with a draft for a 'common understanding' sent to Moscow and Kiev for consideration. The official asked not to be named because an agreement had yet to be reached.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Petro Poroshenko, agreed on a broad outline of a deal, but financial issues, centering on payment guarantees for Moscow, have since bogged down talks.
The European Union-brokered talks were expected to continue later Thursday.