MOSCOW, June 16 (RIA Novosti) — The European Commission’s approach to trilateral talks in Kiev points to its willingness to compromise on the gas issue taking into account Moscow’s offers, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Monday.
“The European Commission supported our offer and showed its readiness, including in finding a compromise on the basis of the offers voiced by the Russian side. In regard to that, we noticed the readiness to find solutions that would have settled the given situation,” Novak said during a press conference.
“The Russian side has definitely done all necessary actions in the framework of the talks, and has taken all essential steps in order to reach a compromise and solutions able to settle the situation [in Ukraine]. The Russian side has made enough constructive proposals to the Ukrainian side,” the minister added, stressing that the proposals concerned the price as well as the payment deadlines.
“Our proposals, and the package of agreements that we have suggested, were entirely rejected by the Ukrainian side. In our point of view, Kiev has behaved non-constructively,” Novak concluded.
Earlier in the day Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller voiced a similar opinion, bashing Kiev for “retaliatory blackmail” as it is Ukraine’s persistent debt for the supplies of Russian gas that is at the core of the dispute, rather than the price.
The non-constructive approach of Kiev resulted in Gazprom switching to a prepayment regime for gas deliveries. Starting Monday, Ukraine will only receive the amount of Russian gas it will have paid for in advance. No payments for June have been received, yet, according to Gazprom.
