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Yulia Tymoshenko's associates want to provoke a new gas war with Russia

Immediately after the formation of the new government of Ukraine, the prime minister, who should become Yulia Tymoshenko, will have to urgently resolve gas issues . According to Vremya Novostei, all Gazprom specialists who are in one way or another related to Russian-Ukrainian cooperation have already received an informal order not to plan to leave Moscow for the New Year holidays. True, things have not yet come to the point of forming a crisis headquarters, as was the case two years ago before the first gas war between Kiev and Moscow and last fall, when Gazprom conducted very difficult negotiations with the government of Belarus.

Statements coming from Ms. Tymoshenko's circle indicate that hot events are approaching. A candidate for people's deputy from her bloc, Sergei Terekhin (who held the post of Minister of Economy in her government), believes that the gas price for Ukraine cannot be a market price, but can only be negotiated. Mr. Terekhin explained his position by the fact that both Russia, as a gas supplier, and Ukraine, which is a transit country, are natural monopolists. “We must sit down and agree on how we will exchange gas as a commodity for a transit service,” the BYuT press service quotes him as saying.

This is essentially a standard proposal from supporters of the future prime minister, this time made in a very incorrect form, since Gazprom and Naftogaz have a five-year (until 2010 inclusive) gas transit contract at a rate of $1.6 per thousand cubic meters. per 100 km. Gazprom, in turn, is obliged to pump at least 110 billion cubic meters annually. This means that the proposal to return to barter payments is nothing more than a call to break the agreement.

Gazprom does not supply gas to Ukraine. Central Asian fuel from the portfolio of the Russian concern is bought by the Swiss trader RosUkrEnergo and delivers the gas to the Ukrainian border. RUE shareholders are Gazprom and Centragas, controlled by entrepreneur Dmitry Firtash. In 2007, the intermediary should supply about 55 billion cubic meters of gas to the Ukrainian market at a price of $130 per thousand cubic meters. The sale of imported gas to specific consumers is carried out by the joint venture of RUE and Naftogaz of Ukraine - Ukrgazenergo. Immediately after the elections, Gazprom reported that the trader owed over $1.3 billion for gas supplied. Over $700 million of this was due to non-payments by Naftogaz of Ukraine, which buys imported raw materials from Ukrgazenergo for the needs of the gas transportation system. and supplies to utility companies in the country (own production is only enough to cover the needs of the population and some public sector employees).

According to the debt repayment scheme, which was approved by the head of Gazprom Alexey Miller and the Minister of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine Yuriy Boyko at the beginning of the month, Ukrgazenergo was supposed to transfer $300 million of its part of the debt by October 22, and by the end of the month it was obliged to transfer the overdue Naftogaz funds. To cover the debt of $700 million, the Ukrainian concern will receive an advance payment for transit from Gazprom in the last quarter of 2007 (about $500 million) and will raise a loan. Yesterday Messrs. Miller and Boyko held a working meeting in Moscow. As the Gazprom press service reported, “it was noted that today the repayment of debts of business entities for gas supplied to Ukraine is carried out in accordance with the agreements reached.”

Alexey GRIVACHS