MOSCOW, November 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russian natural gas monopoly Gazprom and Ukrainian national gas company Naftogaz will continue negotiating gas supplies and transit for 2006 next week, a Gazprom deputy chairman said Tuesday.
Alexander Ryazanov said the talks had originally been scheduled for Tuesday, but the Ukrainian delegation could not make it.
Ryazanov said Gazprom was prepared to strike a deal for Russian gas transit via Ukraine. He said transit fees totaled $1.09 per 100km (62 miles) for 1,000 cu m, but Gazprom was ready to raise the figure to $1.5-1.75.
Gazprom is currently supplying gas to Ukraine under a barter agreement. The company is ready to pay European transit fees, but also wants to raise gas prices for Ukraine from the estimated $50-$60 that the country currently pays to $160 per 1,000 cu m. Ukraine said it would agree to a price increase on the condition that Gazprom pay $3.5 per 1,000 cu m per 100 km for transit via its territory.
Ryazanov said if no contract were signed with Ukraine, Gazprom would stop gas supplies to Ukraine.
"We will supply no gas to Ukraine without a contract," Ryazanov said.
According to Ryazanov, if Ukraine demands an increase in transit fees to $2, "prices for transit via Russia would be equally raised."
Ukraine currently receives gas from Turkmenistan via Russia.
Ryazanov said Gazprom supplied 20-23 billion cu m to Ukraine in 2005 while Turkmenistan provided it with 36-37 billion cu m.
Russia plans to transit about 116 billion cu m of gas via Ukraine in 2006.
