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Russia-Ukraine gas dispute

Ukraine has money to pay gas debts to Russia but not certain about price

Ukraine’s parliament-appointed Finance Minister Oleksandr Shlapak says it is impossible to say whether the available sum would be enough to “balance and secure Naftogaz of Ukraine"

Ukraine's parliament-appointed Finance Minister Oleksandr Shlapak EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

Ukraine's parliament-appointed Finance Minister Oleksandr Shlapak

© EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

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Ukraine to repay gas debt to Russia if previous price returned — acting finance minister

KIEV, May 27. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine has the money to pay its gas debts to Russia but is not certain about the price of Russian gas, Ukraine’s parliament-appointed Finance Minister Oleksandr Shlapak said on Tuesday.

“We have saved a necessary sum to pay our Russian partners but it is not clear so far what the price will be,” he said at a government meeting, adding that for this reason it was impossible to say whether the available sum would be enough to “balance and secure Naftogaz of Ukraine".

Earlier on Tuesday, Ukraine’s parliament-appointed Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that his country was ready to pay for Russian gas it had already received but bilateral documents were needed “to discharge obligations”. If such documents were not signed, he said, Ukraine would file a suit with the international arbitration court in Stockholm on May 29.

It means that Kiev hopes that by May 29 Moscow would revise the gas price for Ukraine, which Ukraine claims is politically-motivated. Previously, Ukraine repeatedly asked Russia to reduce the gas price.

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Ukraine Oil & Gas Russia-Ukraine Gas Dispute

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