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Ukraine plans to prepay for Russian gas before December — minister

According to the Ukrainian energy minister, the country was planning to purchase preliminarily up to 1.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia until the end of this year

LONDON, November 18. /TASS/. Ukraine plans to make an advance payment for Russian natural gas before December 1, Reuters news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan.

The Ukrainian energy minister earlier said Ukraine was planning to purchase preliminarily up to 1.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia until the end of this year.

“Our plans are preliminary — to purchase up to 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas until the end of the year,” Prodan said.

Depending on weather conditions, Ukraine also plans to purchase up to 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas in Russia in the first quarter of 2015, Prodan said.

Ukraine will make gas purchases proceeding from its requirements. Under a deal signed between Ukrainian national energy company Naftogaz and Gazprom, Ukraine can purchase any volumes of natural gas from any date, if it makes advance payments for any gas volumes, the minister said.

Naftogaz head Andriy Kobolev said Ukraine could try to reduce gas consumption and pass the winter without Russian gas by trying to introduce certain economizing measures while controlling key inefficient elements of consumption.

The winter gas package agreed by Moscow and Kiev with the EU’s mediation allows for Russian natural gas supplies to Ukraine in the fourth quarter of 2014 at $378 per 1,000 cu m, considering Russia’s $100 price discount.

Ukraine earlier said it planned to purchase 4 billion cu m of Russian natural gas until the end of this year as agreed in the winter package.

Gazprom CEO Miller said on the sidelines of the gas talks between Moscow and Kiev in Brussels in late October that Ukraine could purchase up to 7 billion cu m of Russian natural gas.