Kiev hopes to sign 12-month agreement at next gas talks

MOSCOW, Apr 10 (PRIME) -- Ukraine hopes to negotiate a 12-month gas supply agreement at the next round of negotiations with Russia and the E.U., CEO of energy holding Naftogaz Ukrainy Andrei Kobolev said at a press conference Friday.

“We hope to discuss a 12-month package, which would cover both the summer and the winter, and conditions of Russian gas supplies to Ukraine in Berlin. We would prefer it be signed as soon as possible. We would like to sign it until the end of July, but everything will depend on the length of the negotiations,” Kobolev said.

Ukraine wants the same supply conditions which it had in January–March, he said.

Russia supplies gas to Kiev under a contract signed in 2009 but in 2014 it had to set milder terms so that Ukraine could continue imports. The last short-term agreement, including a U.S. $100 discount for 1,000 cubic meters and a temporary repeal of penalties for low gas outtake, terminated on April 1.

E.U. Commissioner for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic said in late March that the new gas agreement may remain in force until the Stockholm Arbitration Court rules on mutual claims between Moscow and Kiev, regarding price hikes and delays in payments.

The next round of negotiations was preliminarily slated for April 14.

Kobolev also said that Naftogaz Ukrainy will ask the E.U. for $1.5 billion of extra liquidity to purchase 6 billion cubic meters of gas to pump to underground storages.

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