BRUSSELS, June 2 (RIA Novosti) – Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said Monday he hasn’t received any proposals from Ukrainian state oil and gas company Naftogaz to review the current gas contract.
“I saw no proposals so far,” he told journalists in Brussels ahead of the three-party meeting on gas.
Naftogaz said earlier on Monday it had sent a draft agreement to Gazprom to review the current price, volumes and terms of gas deliveries.
The gas price for Ukraine surged from $268.5 to $485.50 per 1,000 cubic meters in April after Russia annulled two discounts granted previously to the country. Kiev keeps rejecting the new price saying it was ready to clear its debt if Moscow agreed to sell gas at the old price.
During the last trilateral energy meeting between the EU, Russian and Ukraine, Moscow said it would only consider lowering the price of gas to Kiev if it begins paying off its gas debts. Naftogaz could transfer $2.2 billion by May 30 and another $500 million by June 7, which will cover unpaid gas bills from November to April, it was agreed on.
Kiev has transferred only $786.4 million so far. Russia’s Energy Ministry demanded that Ukraine has to pay Moscow the remaining part of $2.2 billion gas debt and agree on payment schedule for April-May gas supplies before June 9.
Earlier this week EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger said that Ukraine’s gas debt to Russia had reached $4 billion upgrading the previous figure of $3.5.
Simultaneously the Gazpom CEO announced that Ukraine would owe Russia about $5.2 billion for natural gas as of June 7 if it makes no payments by that date.
