Updated 5:21 p.m. Moscow time
KIEV, September 24 (RIA Novosti) – Kiev and some EU member states are discussing ways to increase reverse deliveries of Russian gas to Ukraine in order to cover the country's gas demand during the winter peak season, the UNIAN news agency reported Wednesday.
"The scheme of reverse delivery of gas works. It will give us 5-6 billion cubic meters in winter. However, there is a chance of an extremely cold winter, and we… are negotiating with our European Union colleagues the possibility of raising delivery volumes above contract figures, giving Ukraine an opportunity to live through an extremely cold period," the agency quoted deputy chief of national oil and gas company Naftogaz, Oleksandr Todiychuk, as saying.
The reverse delivery scheme is devised to deliver gas to Ukraine after Russian gas giant Gazprom suspended deliveries to Ukraine in June over a debt of more than $5 billion. Kiev had been asking for a reduction in gas prices but was not satisfied with Gazprom's offer, which forced the Russian company to switch Ukraine to the prepayment system.
Earlier in September, Poland stopped reverse deliveries to Ukraine when, according to Polish company Polskie Gornictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo SA (PGNiG), the supply of Russian gas to Poland fell, although Gazprom denied the claim.
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on September 19 that Russia, Ukraine and the European Union would hold gas talks in Berlin on September 26.
On July 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow would not aggravate the situation, although it saw the artificiality of reverse gas supplies from Europe to Ukraine.
