All news

EU should press Ukraine to repay its gas debt — Russian foreign affairs committee chief

MOSCOW, June 02. /ITAR-TASS/. The European Union should “continue pressing” Ukraine to pay off the debt for Russian gas supplies, says Alexei Pushkov, head of the State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee.

“Neither Russia nor the European Union need a new gas crisis,” Pushkov wrote on his Twitter microblog. “To prevent it, the EU should continue pressing Kiev until it pays off the debt.”

Russia confirmed receiving $786.4 million as repayment for part of Ukraine’s gas debt on Monday, the day when Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak, European Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger and Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan will meet in Belgium’s capital, Brussels.

This is the fourth round of talks in such format. The parties will discuss Ukraine’s gas debt and a scheme for its repayment.

The gas price and possibilities for Ukraine’s state energy company Naftogaz of Ukraine to return to the previous payment scheme without advance payment are also on the agenda.