MOSCOW, November 1 (Prime/RIA Novosti) - Ukraine's Energy Minister said Friday that the country is continuing talks with Russia's state energy giant Gazprom over outstanding debts.
Gazprom's Chief Executive Officer Alexei Miller said Tuesday that Kiev still owes $882 million for gas Russia sent Ukraine in August.
A delegation from Ukraine's state gas company Naftogaz headed to Moscow the next day, and Ukraine's Energy Minister Eduard Stavitsky said that his country might have fallen behind with payments.
On Wednesday, Stavitsky said he expected to see the matter resolved by Thursday. On Thursday, he said there should be an agreement by the end of the day.
"We always reach agreement, we'll agree this time, too," Stavitsky said Friday.
Russia has threatened that if the issue is not settled, Ukraine might have to pay up-front for gas.
After bold statements earlier in the week about an "end to gas communism," in an interview with Reuters published Friday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev played down talk of a "gas war," saying there is no need to cut supplies.
Differences between Russia and Ukraine over gas prices in the winters of 2006 and 2009 led to Moscow temporarily halting deliveries to Ukraine and some European countries.
Tensions between the two countries are running high as Ukraine has repeatedly rejected Moscow's overtures to join the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, and is due to sign a series of free trade and association agreements with the EU at the end of this month - a step Russia has called "suicidal."
