EU To Discuss Trade, Energy During Russia Visit

A spokesman confirmed Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso would lead the delegation.

Senior European Union officials will tackle the bloc's often-strained relations with Russia on energy, trade, investment and politics when they visit Moscow next week.

A row between Russia and Ukraine over gas payments, which blocked supplies to Europe earlier this year, is expected to feature prominently in the talks with Russian leaders during the visit by the executive European Commission on Feb. 6.

"This is one of those meetings that the Commission occasionally holds abroad as an opportunity to discuss all pending issues, including difficult issues," a Commission official said on Thursday.

A planned visit by the 27-member Commission to Moscow last year was postponed due to Russia's incursion into Georgia.

Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is to lead the delegation, which will include the commissioners for energy, trade, foreign relations and monetary affairs.

"The agenda envisages discussions on the impact of the financial crisis on the Russian and EU economies, cooperation in preparing the next G20 summit..., European energy security and further steps to promote Russia-EU relations," Russia's mission to the EU said in a statement.

Leaders of the G20 group of heavyweight economies are to meet on April 2 to discuss further steps to fight the global economic downturn.

The EU has been working on improving ties with Russia after it launched repeatedly delayed negotiations on a new wide-ranging partnership pact in late 2008.

But the bloc's confidence in Moscow sank when the gas spat deprived many EU countries of fuel for days. The EU is keen to prevent a similar conflict in the future.

Russia sent a toughly worded letter to Brussels on Wednesday, refusing to accept any blame for the gas cuts, at a time when some EU firms are considering legal action against Kiev or Moscow.

"The Russian side is perplexed by statements of high level representatives of the EU concerning the reasons for the gas crisis...The Russian side considers such statement to be absolutely unacceptable," said the letter, which a source quoted to Reuters.

The talks with Russia are also expected to tackle trade and investment, with the EU making its conditional support for Russia's entry into the World Trade Organisation conditional on improvement in that area.