KIEV, Jun 5. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian gas giant Gazprom and Ukraine’s energy company Naftogaz have agreed that if they do not reach a long-awaited deal on the gas price by Friday, Kiev will pay its debt no earlier than June 10, a Naftogaz official said late Wednesday.
“The parties have also agreed that if they find no compromise by June 6, the payment of overdue debt for supplied natural gas will take place no earlier than June 10,” the official said.
EU Commissioner for Energy Gunther Oettinger, who mediated in the talks earlier, said that Ukraine is to repay its debt for November-December 2013 and part of its debt for April and May, the period when Gazprom doubled the price to around $500. Some part of the debt will remain unpaid until Moscow and Kiev fully agree on the price.
Ukraine insists on the recalculation of its debt for gas supplied in 2013 on the basis of a discounted price of $268.5 per 1,000 cubic meters for January-March.
The Naftogaz official also said it is now Gazprom’s turn to put forward contract amendments.