MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. Russian gas giant Gazprom has drawn a $2.549 bln bill to Naftogaz of Ukraine for the Russian gas Ukraine had not taken in the third quarter of 2015 under "take or pay" condition, Gazprom said in a statement on Tuesday.
Gazprom expects the Ukrainian company to pay the bill in 10 days.
Under the current contract signed between Gazprom and Naftogaz of Ukraine, the buyer is obliged to annually pay for a minimal annual volume of gas. According to the contract, the minimum gas volume in the third quarter of 2015 was 10.485 bln cubic meters.
Taking into account this provision as well as the volume of gas supplied to Ukraine in the third quarter of 2015, Gazprom drew a bill for the sum of $2.549 bln to the Ukrainian company.
"In 2015, Ukraine actually refused to buy the Russian gas in the third quarter and there was no agreement that "take or pay" rule is not applied in that period," Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller said.
In 2015, "take or pay" rule was not valid for "Naftogaz of Ukraine" in the 1st, 2nd and 4th quarters.
Meanwhile, amid a storm warning and expected cold temperatures down to 24 degrees below zero in Ukraine, the head of Naftogaz of Ukraine Andrei Kobolev said that Ukraine may resume gas purchases from Russia.