KIEV, May 22 (RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's debt to trading company Rosukrenergo for natural gas has exceeded $400 million, a senior official of Ukraine's national oil and gas company Naftogaz said Friday.
Rosukrenergo, the sole supplier of Russian and Central Asian gas to Ukraine, was the key company in a deal to end a bitter price row between the former Soviet neighbors early this year.
"We should repay our $400 mln debt for [natural] gas since the beginning of the year," Yaroslav Dikovitsky said.
He said Ukraine used funds gained for Russian natural gas transit to Europe via its territory to pay for about 50% of imported gas. "However, payments for transit services come later than calculations for imported gas," he added.
Dikovitsky said Naftogaz would repay the debt as soon as Ukraine received payment for Russian gas transit.
