NOVO-OGARYOVO, February 26. /TASS/. Russia’s Energy Ministry and Gazprom are in constant contact with European partners on resolving the Ukraine gas issue, presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
"They are, of course, in constant contact. They have a mechanism of official communication," Peskov said.
Gas consultations and gas supplies to Ukraine are the issues that do not depend on each other, he said.
"So far, the talk is about routine supplies," Peskov said, adding the sums prepaid by Ukraine for Russian natural gas supplies would be wholly spent soon.
"So far, there is a dialog between [Gazprom head Alexei] Miller and his Ukrainian colleagues at Naftogaz. Yesterday, an exchange of letters was reported and actually what we saw yesterday was a statement of the fact that it [the prepaid volume of gas] would suffice virtually for several days, virtually until the end of the week," the presidential spokesman said.
- Ukraine's Naftogaz accuses Gazprom of slashing gas deliveries to Ukraine
- Putin says Gazprom breached no contract terms with gas supplies to east Ukraine
- Russia expects Ukraine’s Naftogaz to timely prepay for March gas supply — minister
- European Commission launches own probe in gas supplies to Donbas
- Gazprom: gas supplies to Ukraine can stop in two days
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday Kiev’s prepaid sums for gas supplies would suffice for only three or four days.
"Naturally, this may create a certain threat for transit to Europe," the Russian president said, adding Russia was taking energetic efforts both to "inform our European partners and involve them in resolving the problem."
The Russian president said he hoped "[gas] supplies to Europe will not be interrupted but this depends not only on us but also on the financial discipline of our Ukrainian partners."