Ukraine has rejected the European Union's demands for additional guarantees for transit of Russian gas through its territory, First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Klyuyev said on Thursday.
Klyuyev was speaking after negotiations in Brussels in which the EU demanded financial guarantees that Ukraine would continue to pump Russian gas via its territory, despite a disagreement between Moscow and Kiev on gas pricing.
"We have managed to agree there will be no financial sanctions in case of interruptions of gas transit to European countries," Klyuyev said.
He said Ukraine had convinced the EU there would be no disruption to transit, as Ukraine was not linking the price and transit issues.
Ukraine wants to revise a 2009 contract signed by previous Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko, claiming the gas pricing formula in that deal was unfair. Previous spats between Moscow and Kiev over gas payments and pricing have occasionally led to suspension of gas deliveries to Europe in mid-winter.
KIEV, June 2 (RIA Novosti)
