俄罗斯命令乌克兰预付天然气款

Russia has ordered energy-dependent Ukraine to pay in advance for all future natural gas deliveries, as Kyiv's cash-poor government struggles to maintain economic and political stability.
俄罗斯命令能源紧缺的乌克兰今后要为输送到其境内的所有天然气交付预付款。现金短缺的基辅政府目前正在尽力维持国家的经济与政治稳定。

The Russian Energy Ministry says Ukraine missed a Wednesday deadline to pay down its $3.5 billion energy debt, and said all gas sent from June 1 will require cash in advance.
俄罗斯能源部表示，乌克兰错过了星期三偿还35亿美元的能源欠款的最后期限，因此，从6月1日起输送给乌克兰的所有天然气都需要预付现金。

It remained unclear late Thursday what impact the pre-payment edict will have on the European Union. Russia supplies about 30 percent of Western Europe's gas needs, with about half of those supplies passing through Ukraine.
现在还不清楚周四晚间宣布的这关于支付预付款的命令会对欧洲联盟带来什么样的影响。西欧所需的天然气中大约30%来自俄罗斯，其中一半要通过乌克兰境内。

In another development, pro-Russian separatists in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk said they will go ahead with a referendum Sunday on whether to declare independence from Kyiv, despite calls from Russian President Vladimir Putin to postpone the vote.
另一方面，乌克兰东部顿涅茨克和卢甘斯克地区的亲俄分离分子说，他们将按计划星期天举行是否脱离乌克兰的公投，尽管俄罗斯总统普京星期三呼吁推迟投票。

Russian media quoted separatist Denis Pushilin, leader of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, as saying the referendum will ask residents to vote yes or no on whether they support a "proclamation of state independence."
俄罗斯国家通讯社“俄新社”援引丹尼斯·普希林这名自称顿涅茨克人民共和国领导人的话说，当地全民公投时，将要求选民明确表明是否支持“顿涅茨克人民共和国国家独立宣言”。

Luhansk residents will be asked the same question, despite recent polling showing 70 percent of the residents in eastern Ukraine want to remain part of the country.
卢甘斯克的居民将被问到同样的问题，尽管最近的民调显示，乌克兰东部有70%的人愿意继续留在乌克兰。