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US: NATO may aid members affected by gas dispute

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SLOBODAN LEKIC | January 8, 2009 11:26 AM EST | AP

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BRUSSELS, Belgium — A senior U.S. diplomat said Thursday that NATO may have to find ways to help member states suffering from reduced natural gas deliveries as a result of the dispute between Ukraine and Russia.

"There is a commercial dispute at the heart of this, but this also has political overtones (because) we have seen Russia over time using such events to gain political leverage," U.S. ambassador to NATO Kurt Volker said.

Russia stopped all natural gas shipments to Ukraine on Jan. 1 over a payment dispute. Supplies to Europe through Ukraine's pipelines also stopped on Wednesday.

Speaking at the U.S. mission to NATO, Volker said the alliance should take a back seat to the European Union's efforts to resolve the crisis.

"But if this persists, I think NATO will have to think how to assist allies who suffer," he said.

Volker did not elaborate. But NATO has a number of military fuel pipelines stretching from ports in the Netherlands, Belgium and France to Central Europe. Since the end of the Cold War, these have been used mainly for purposes such as providing jet fuel for use by civilian airlines.

NATO also has substantial diplomatic influence in Kiev, which is seeking membership in the alliance.