Russia's Gazprom Says Increased Sum Sought From Ukraine's Naftogaz

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian energy giant Gazprom has increased the sum it is demanding from Ukraine's Naftogaz national oil and gas company through the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce by over $2.5 billion, the company said on Tuesday.

"Gazprom has sent its updated demands over the January 19, 2009 sales contract with Naftogaz to Stockholm's international arbitrage [institute]. The total sum of Gazprom's demands, including the additional demand of $2.549 billion for the gas unclaimed in the third quarter of 2015 as per the "take or pay" condition, comes to $31.759 billion," Gazprom said in a statement.

In June, the Russian state-owned energy company submitted a protest to the Stockholm arbitration court regarding Naftogaz's insistence on unfair contract changes and its calls for Gazprom to reimburse $16 billion for alleged overcharges. Gazprom filed a simultaneous $29.2-billion counter-claim against Naftogaz.

In January, Gazprom invoiced Naftogaz for some $2.5 billion in unclaimed Russian gas that the company failed to take in the third quarter of 2015 in accordance with "take or pay." Naftogaz has failed to settle the invoice.

Gazprom has previously confirmed that the "take or pay" rule, obliging Ukraine to pay for the volume of gas specified in the contract regardless of the real volume of purchases, would be canceled for the fourth quarter of 2015 and the first quarter of 2016.

​On Monday, Gazprom revealed that it is owed $7.09 billion, $11.39 billion, $8.2 billion and $2.55 billion by Naftogaz for unclaimed gas in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively.