WASHINGTON, October 31 (RIA Novosti) — The United States welcomes the gas deal, reached between Russia and Ukraine, US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki told journalists Friday.
“We welcome news on EU-brokered gas deal between Russia and Ukraine,” Psaki said.
“The agreement is a positive step,” she added.
In June, Russian energy giant Gazprom switched Ukraine to a prepayment system due to its massive gas debt of more than $5 billion. Since then, several rounds of talks on the Ukrainian gas issue were held.
On Thursday, the final round of gas talks between Russia and Ukraine, brokered by the European Union, finished with the signing of a so-called "winter package" agreement securing gas supplies to Ukraine until March.
The agreement stipulates that Russia resumes gas supplies to Ukraine and gives Kiev a $100 discount on the price it pays per 1,000 cubic meters of gas, while Kiev agrees to pay $3.1 billion to cover part of its debt to Gazprom by the end of 2014.
