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Ukraine and Russia may solve gas dispute out of court – Ukrainian ForMin

Earlier, Naftogaz Ukrainy CEO Yevgeny Bakulin said Ukraine sees 230 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters of gas as an acceptable price

KIEV, September 6 (Itar-Tass) —— Ukrainian Foreign Minister Konstantin Grishchenko said on Tuesday he hoped Russian and Ukraine are able to solve the gas problem by themselves, not resorting to court procedures.

“We believe the best way is to reach understanding at the level of relevant ministries and companies in order to elaborate utterly new terms and conditions that would be in prospective interests of both countries,” he said at a news conference. “Nonetheless, we are ready for other possible ways things might turn but we still thinks that the current level of bilateral relations Ukraine and Russia have reached in the past 18 months make it possible to hope for such an understanding in bilateral contacts.”

At the same time, he stressed that the gas pricing formula fixed in the 2009 gas contracts is in no way a market price, and “other elements of these contracts run counter to the current practices in this sphere.”

Earlier, Naftogaz Ukrainy CEO Yevgeny Bakulin said Ukraine sees 230 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters of gas as an acceptable price.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich said that Ukraine already has all materials necessary to be filed with an international court of arbitration to solve the gas price dispute with Russia.