MOSCOW (Sputnik) —Last summer, Russian energy company Gazprom introduced a prepayment system for gas deliveries to Ukraine, amid Kiev’s massive gas debt, estimated to be $5 billion at the time.
"On September 24 this year, Gazprom sent a letter to Naftogaz of Ukraine, signed by Chairman Alexey Miller. In its letter, Gazprom confirmed that it would not use the take or pay condition from the gas supply contract of January 19, 2009, in respect to Russian gas supplies to Ukraine in the period from October 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016," the company said in a statement.
Earlier this month, Novak met with European Commission Vice President on Energy Union Maros Sefcovic in Vienna. They set out key conditions for gas deliveries to Ukraine during the peak winter period, including the fourth quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016.
Ukraine ceased purchasing gas from Russian energy company Gazprom in July after Kiev and Moscow had failed to reach an agreement on gas deliveries for the third quarter of 2015.
On Thursday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a directive setting the price for gas deliveries to Kiev in the fourth quarter of 2015 at the price Russia charges EU countries neighboring Ukraine.