Russian President Vladimir Putin has instructed to conduct talks with Ukraine to extend Russian gas transit via Ukraine after 2019 and Naftogas owes Gasprom $212 million for the gas suppliers to Donezk and Lugansk, Gasprom chairman of Board Aleksei Miller told journalists.
He said Ukraine still refuses to pay for the gas delivered to the so-called self-proclaimed republics. The direct deliveries to the southeast of Ukraine started in February 2014. “Gasprom has delivered 704 million cub.m. of gas to Donezk and Lugansk. Ukrainian Naftogas owes Ukraine $212 million,” RIA Novosti quoted Miller as saying.
“We know that Gasprom has only one contract for the gas deliveries to Ukraine – this is the contract with Naftogas Ukraine. A while ago Naftogas has requested us to stop gas deliveries to the southeast of the country. Secondly, the company told us that it is not going to pay for these deliveries,” Gasprom said.
Ukraine does not say why it is not going to pay for gas, Miller added. TACC quoted him as saying that if Naftogas considers these territories as the region with a different status, then the company should announce that.
He also said that Naftogas’ total debt to Gasprom for failure to obey the rules “take or pay” has already reached $26.7 billion.
As far as the talks on the gas transit via Ukraine are concerned, Miller said “we will never sign the contract on unfair, non-advantageous and unacceptable for us conditions of the transit contract.” Gasprom President said that Naftogas would like to increase the transit rate from the current $2,700 up to $5,000 per 1,000 cub.m. per 100 km.
Gasprom and the Russian Energy Ministry have earlier said that Russia will not prolong the transit contract with Ukraine after 2019. However, Russian President said it is necessary to conduct talks to extend gas transit through this country.
