Gas Vivisector

In the current situation, Gazprom should not apply the opportunity to supply gas to Ukraine in the contract in the contract that will be paid a month in advance. This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with government members, RIA Novosti reports.

“Given the difficult situation in which Ukraine is located and the incompleteness of our negotiation process with the European Union, I would ask the government to refrain from applying the capabilities arising from the contract up to additional consultations, unless, of course, our partners agree to these consultations. If we do not agree, then we will act in accordance with the contract,” Putin said.

Putin called the current situation "strange." According to him, the Western countries recognizing the legitimacy of the Ukrainian authorities "do nothing in order to support Ukraine." At the same time, Russia, which considers the Kyiv authorities illegal, "continues to provide economic support and subsidize the Ukrainian economy by hundreds of millions and billion dollars still," the president said.

“This situation, of course, cannot continue endlessly,” said Putin. “But, once again I want to note that we must act very carefully, without the destruction of that slightly that still remains.”

On Tuesday, the press service of Gazprom said that Naftogaz’s payment was not received for the supply of Russian gas in March, the total debt of Ukraine for gas is $ 2.2 billion. According to the contract, gas calculations should be made until the seventh of the month following the reporting one.

According to the agreements reached in December last year, Russian gas in the first quarter cost Ukraine $ 268.5. From April 1, Gazprom canceled this discount and raised the price to 385.5 dollars , motivating this by the fact that Kiev did not pay the debt and current deliveries. On April 3, the discount on the Kharkov agreements of 2010 was announced, which was given in exchange for extending the stay of the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, and the price increased to $ 485 .

By the end of the year, Ukrainian debt for gas supply to the Russian Gazprom may increase by 5-6 billion dollars, said the head of the monopoly, Alexei Miller on April 5.

Ukraine considers an acceptable price for Russian gas at $ 268 per thousand cubic meters, the Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said on the same day at a government meeting. He also added that Ukraine is ready to make all calculations for the gas previously delivered from Russia.