Gazprom complied with the threat: Ukraine is 100% deprived of gas

On January 1, Russia completely stopped supplying gas to Ukraine, but confirmed the readiness to continue negotiations on the conclusion of the contract for 2009. As the official representative of Gazprom Sergey Kupriyanov, an urgently convened in Moscow, explained at the press conference, "there are no contracts for the supply of gas to consumers of Ukraine, there are no grounds for supplies either, and from 10:00 Moscow time, dispatch services reduced gas supply."

And in the evening, the chairman of the Gazprom board Alexei Miller on the air of the Vesti Information Channel announced that in 2009 Ukraine would buy gas at market prices - $ 418 per thousand cubic meters. According to him, this is due to "the refusal of Ukraine from the offer" Gazprom "to supply gas at a preferential price of $ 250.

“Supplies to Ukrainian consumers were reduced by 100%, that is, 110 million cubic meters per day,” Kupriyanov explained. “In fact, gas selection from Russian underground storages was reduced. At the level of gas production, this reduction was not reflected.” In the morning it was reported that gas supply was four times reduced.

- Ukraine "forced" reduced gas supply to Europe
- The soft winter in Europe made a gas dispute non -hazardous, but in a week there may be problems
- In Kiev, they promise to agree with the Russian Federation for Christmas
- Yushchenko and Tymoshenko on New Year's Eve called on Russia to continue negotiations
- Ukraine delays information about the mode of operation of transit networks
- Political scientist Gleb Pavlovsky: Ukraine deliberately creates a crisis, blackmailing Russia
- "Naftogaz" transferred $ 1.5 billion to Rosukrenergo
- But $ 600 million should

At the same time, Kupriyanov continued, gas supply through the territory of Ukraine for European consumers increased by 20 million cubic meters, to 326 million cubic meters. “This is done in accordance with consumer requests,” he remarked.

Nevertheless, according to him, Gazprom is determined to continue negotiations. "The concern is ready to sign a contract at any time when Naftogaz of Ukraine will come to Moscow with the necessary mandate to sign this document," Kupriyanov said. At the same time, he noted that Gazprom does not yet have information about whether the Ukrainian delegation will come to the next round of negotiations.

The representative of Gazprom admitted that recently there have been messages from the Ukrainian side about what level of prices and the tariff they agree to. “However, these statements appeared after the Gazprom delegation left,” he remarked, “and now the problem is not that the parties are not converged in numbers, but that Ukrainian colleagues are not ready to sign the contract, they don’t have a mandate for this.”

Answering the question of journalists, whether Gazprom recorded the unauthorized gas selection, intended for European consumers by the Ukrainian side, Kupriyanov noted that it was too early to give such grades. “There is a day of reference from 10:00 to 10:00,” he said, adding that after this period, it will be possible to answer this question with confidence.

The last round of negotiations between Gazprom and Naftogaz of Ukraine ended on Wednesday evening to no avail. As the head of the Russian concern, Alexei Miller, emphasized, "all responsibility for the failure of negotiations lies on the Ukrainian side."

In Kyiv, they claim that they are ready for gas negotiations, but the break was taken on the initiative of the Russian side. This was stated by the Commissioner of the President of Ukraine on Energy Security Bogdan Sokolovsky. He noted that the Ukrainian side is ready to resume negotiations and is waiting for appropriate confirmation from Moscow, Interfax reports.

In response to Russian threats, Ukraine stated that in this case it would not be able to guarantee the supply of transit Russian gas to Western Europe and is ready to “confiscate” fuel . The leadership of Gazprom was informed about this through the official letter of NAK Naftogaz of Ukraine. In Gazprom they received a letter, called all this blackmail and did not exclude that it would take a political intervention to resolve the issue of transit of Russian gas.

On Thursday, Naftogaz stated that it guarantees gas transit, but cannot guarantee the synchronous work of the gas transport systems of Ukraine, the Russian Federation and the EU countries.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced on the eve that if Kyiv goes to such actions, it would mean, firstly, "that power in Ukraine is now hostage to inter-plane clashes, and, unfortunately, the legal capacity of the authorities is very low." Secondly, the neglect of the needs of European consumers "will not paint Ukraine as a state that seeks to build full relations with European states, the European Union," the head of the Russian state said.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, for his part, called the Ukrainian threats "absolutely incorrect from the economic or legal point of view." Between Ukrainian and Russian partners there is a contract of April 2007 for transit to Russian gas to consumers to Europe at a rate of $ 1.6 per thousand cubic meters per 100 km, he recalled. “This contract is valid until December 31, 2010, and is not subject to any changes,” Putin emphasized.

Yushchenko and Tymoshenko on New Year's Eve called on Russia to continue negotiations

On January 1, early morning on the official website of the President of Ukraine appeared a joint statement by Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. It confirms the willingness to continue negotiations with Moscow and guarantees of the transit of Russian gas to Europe are given.

"Once again, we declare that Ukraine guarantees technological support for reliable and uninterrupted transportation of Russian natural gas to European countries in its territory," the document said.

At the same time, Ukrainian leaders again announced the unacceptability of increasing gas prices to $ 250 "taking into account the sharp drop in world energy prices" and maintaining a transit rate of $ 1.7 per hundred kilometers. In their opinion, the price of gas for Ukraine in 2009 should be $ 201 dollar per thousand cubic meters, and the transit rate - at least $ 2.

A joint statement also emphasizes that citizens of Ukraine "will be further provided with natural gas in the volumes necessary for their own consumption." "Not a single Ukrainian family will feel complications, since Ukraine has sufficient volumes of gas reserves in storage facilities, which will ensure its own needs for a long time," the document says.

According to ITAR-TASS, the Russian Foreign Ministry is preparing a return note, it will be transferred through the Ukrainian Embassy in Moscow.

According to the latest data, Ukraine has already begun the selection of gas from its underground storage facilities to compensate for the missing volumes due to the cessation of Russian supplies. There are now stored 29.5 billion cubic meters, which should be enough until the end of winter.

At the same time, as ITAR-TASS reported to Ukrtransgaz, deliveries to Europe were not reduced. “They are in full. EU countries will not even feel anything,” the agency’s interlocutor assured.

The hope that this is how it will be expressed in Brussels by the official representative of the European Commissioner in Energy Ferran Tarradelelas Espuni. "The European Commission with close attention monitors the situation. We expect that gas supplies to Europe will be carried out regardless of the bilateral conflict between Ukraine and Russia," he said. According to him, the leadership of the European Commission is in contact with the heads of government of Russia and Ukraine. “We received the assurances of both Russia and Ukraine that all terms of gas supplies to Europe will be fulfilled,” he emphasized.

The representative of the European Commission also said that on January 9, it was planned to hold a meeting of the coordination group of the European Union for gas at the expert level at which the current situation will be given.

The soft winter in Europe made a gas dispute non -hazardous, but in a week there may be problems

Meanwhile, British experts believe that this time the countries of the European Union are less vulnerable in case of negative development of the situation with the supply of Russian gas through Ukraine than three years ago, when a similar crisis occurred, ITAR-TASS reports.

According to their expression, "the economic decline and the mild start of winter reduced the need for fuel." In any case, Europeans with significant fuel reserves can do without imported gas for several days. However, after a week, problems may arise.

In the previously widespread statement by the British Ministry of Energy, a point of view is expressed that in the event of the termination of the transit of Russian gas to the EU countries, the country should not suffer. "

Ukraine delays information about the mode of operation of transit networks

Meanwhile, Viktor Pavlik, a responsible Topennerzhi duty officer of the Balkan Dispatching Center for Gaza, told the agency that the Ukrainian side delayed information about the mode of transit networks on the first day of the New Year.

According to him, a working summary about the condition of compressor stations and the capabilities of gas transit on the Ukrainian pipeline network was supposed to enter at 09:00, but so far there is no this important operational information.

Every day, the Balkan region, which is located in the Topennerji liability zone, consumes about 66 million cubic meters of gas. To date, due to the cold weather, applications have received 2 million cubic meters more, but it is not clear whether the Ukrainian side can provide the transit of these additional volumes.

At the same time, according to the responsible duty officer Topenerji, "at the moment, the situation with gas transit is stable."

Political scientist Gleb Pavlovsky: Ukraine deliberately creates a crisis, blackmailing Russia

Kyiv imposes a gas war to Moscow in order to create a crisis not only in bilateral relations, but also in relations between Russia and the European Union, according to the president of the effective policy of Gleb Pavlovsky. He is convinced that the so -called "gas war" "is imposed on Ukraine, which seeks to turn ordinary commercial obligations into a political crisis and assign responsibility for it for Moscow."

According to Pavlovsky, "Ukraine was preparing for this situation, pumping gas in advance in its storage facilities in advance." "The gas balance of Ukraine, taking into account the decline in the industry of the East of the country, completely covers the needs of the population in fuel, and if we are told that Russia, having stopped supplying gas, strangles Ukraine with hunger and cold, it will be impudent lies," Interfax quotes the expert.

Pavlovsky called the behavior of Ukraine when resolving the gas problem with Russia non -European. "Ukraine deliberately creates a crisis, blackmailing Russia," the political scientist said. He also indicated the fact that the current problem in the field of gas supply to Europe once again makes the question of their diversification relevant. "The tightening of the construction of the Nord Stim pipeline, as well as the southern route, makes Russia a hostage to Ukrainian politics, which brought its country to the border of default," he said.