| Viktor Khristenko sent a Ukrainian delegation to Gazprom The team formed by Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to resolve gas issues with Russia yesterday held the first round of negotiations in Moscow. The three-hour conversation with Russian Minister of Industry and Energy Viktor Khristenko ended disappointingly for the Kyiv guests, as expected. The delegation led by the Minister of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine Ivan Plachkov did not convince their Russian colleagues to sign the gas transit protocol for 2006 on the current conditions. Moreover, Mr. Khristenko immediately outlined his position: Ukraine, or rather Naftogaz, will have to negotiate primarily with Gazprom. Today, the deputy chairman of the board of the Russian concern, Alexander Ryazanov, will meet with his colleagues from the Ukrainian company - deputy chairman Andrei Lopushansky and Yuri Nemchenko. All of them yesterday took part in an extended conversation with the head of the Ministry of Industry and Energy.
A delegation from Kyiv arrived in Moscow to discuss the conditions for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine in 2006, as well as the transportation of Turkmen gas, which Ukraine purchases from this Central Asian republic, through Russia. The parties approached yesterday's meeting with diametrically opposed positions. Mr. Plachkov brought to Moscow a proposal to maintain the conditions of transit and its payment that are in force this year. According to Vremya Novostei, it is as follows: for pumping about 118 billion cubic meters of gas, Gazprom will transfer to Ukraine 26 billion cubic meters of gas and $250 million, which have already been offset as part of the scheme to pay off Kyiv’s old debt. At the same time, it is proposed to carry out the offset at preferential rates: $50 per thousand cubic meters of Russian gas and $1.09 per 100 km of transit of a thousand cubic meters through Ukrainian territory. The Ukrainian delegation proposes to leave negotiations on the abandonment of barter and market pricing for gas until next year. As motives, officials from Kyiv even cited the preparation of the country's budget, the draft of which does not provide for an increase in prices for Russian gas.
Viktor Khristenko voiced Gazprom’s position on a complete transition to a monetary form of payment and at the same time to the average European level of gas prices and transportation tariffs already in 2006. According to one of the participants in yesterday's event, the Russian minister firmly pointed out to Mr. Plachkov that if an “installment plan” for the transition to market relations is possible, then only on the condition that it should begin next year.
To bring their positions closer, the parties decided to create a working group at the level of deputy chairmen of the boards of Gazprom and Naftogaz, which should agree on the text of the protocol by September 10. The head of the Ministry of Industry and Energy expressed confidence in the successful completion of this mission and the signing of a protocol so that, in his words, no one would engage in “smuggling.”
Along the way, the Russian minister did not allow the topic of revising the scheme for repaying Naftogaz’s old debt to Gazprom for $1.62 billion to be developed. Last year, the Russian concern, as is known, ceded the right to claim the debt to Vnesheconombank for $1.25 billion, and here he transferred the received amount to Naftogaz as an advance payment for part of the transit for five years in advance. The Ukrainian company paid this money to VEB. The new leadership of Ukraine declared this scheme contrary to the interests of the country and even hinted at its illegality. However, yesterday Mr. Khristenko rejected even the possibility of discussing its revision.
In fact, Viktor Khristenko returned the negotiation process to the corporate level, from which Yulia Tymoshenko tried in vain to remove it. She repeatedly emphasized that gas relations with Russia should be regulated at the intergovernmental level, for which a group was formed under the leadership of Mr. Plachkov.
Today, at a meeting with the top management of Gazprom, in addition to transit issues, the parties will once again discuss a wide range of gas topics, including balance sheet problems at the end of this year, the activities of the intermediary company RosUkrEnergo and the prospects for increasing the transit of Turkmen gas through Russia. Alexey GRIVACHS |
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