KIEV, September 28. /TASS/. Ukraine has confirmed its intention to purchase 2 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia’s gas giant Gazprom, the country’s Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Vladimir Demchishin said at a briefing when commenting on the results of the gas talks in Brussels.
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"That 2 billion [cubic meters of gas will be purchased - TASS] from Gazprom while the remaining part - from the EU," he said.
Currently, Ukraine’s national oil and gas company Naftogaz has around $500 mln for buying Russian gas, he said.
As the trilateral protocol and the agreement between Naftogaz and Gazprom have not been signed yet gas is not being purchased now, the minister said.
He also gave no details regarding the price of gas for Ukraine as he said this is commercially sensitive information.
CEO of the country's national oil and gas company Naftogaz Andrey Kobolev said the price of Russian gas for Ukraine will total $227.36 per 1,000 cubic meters in the fourth quarter of 2015.
"Gas price in the fourth quarter will stand at $227.36 per 1,000 cubic meters," he said.
Kiev to sign trilateral protocol on gas in nearest future
The minister noted that Ukraine plans to sign a trilateral protocol on gas with Russia and the European Union in the nearest future.
"The issue will be solved in the nearest future," he said.
The minister added that the document was not signed but only initiated during gas talks in Brussels last Friday as "there were questions regarding the authorities of the signatories." However, he added that the matter of the document’s signing is "technical" and the European side wouldn’t have initiated the draft document if it had doubts.
Ukraine’s cabinet of ministers may approve the initiated trilateral protocol on Russian supplies of natural gas to the country already this week, Demchishin said.
"I’ve received directives on signing /the protocol/ and I think there are chances," he said, adding that initially Kiev planned to resume gas imports from Russia from October 1.