From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 2/9/2008 12:52 AM
Gazprom may stop Russian gas deliveries to Ukraine on Feb 12
08.02.2008, 22.54
MOSCOW, February 8 (Itar-Tass) -- Friday negotiations between Gazprom and Neftegaz Ukrainy did not bring results because the Ukrainian company was not ready to discuss the debts. Thus, Gazprom will stop supplying Russian gas to Ukraine at 10:00 a.m. Moscow time on February 12 if the debts are not paid, Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov told Itar-Tass.
“The meeting showed that the Ukrainian side was totally unprepared to discuss the essence of the problem. Igor Didenko was fully informed about the Gazprom position, and that was the end of the negotiations,” he said.
“We give them time until Monday. If the problem is not resolved, Russian gas will not be supplied to Ukraine starting from 10:00 a.m. Moscow time on Tuesday, February 12,” he said.
In his words, the Ukrainian debt for Russian gas delivered since January 1, 2008, is nearing $500 million, while the total debt stands at $1.5 billion. Ukraine has received 1.5 billion cubic meters of Russian gas this year, Kupriyanov said.
“Russian gas deliveries to Ukraine are not included in the Gazprom balance of gas for 2008. Thus, Ukraine must immediately legalize the deliveries with relevant contracts and acts and fully repay its debt,” Kupriyanov said.
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said before the negotiations he hoped to reach an agreement with Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko thinks that Ukraine does not need intermediaries in gas supplies.
“As a rule, such intermediaries as RosUkrEnergo thwart settlements and gas supplies to Ukraine. The current situation is rooted in the lack of direct contracts between Neftegaz and Gazprom, as well as related agreements between the Ukrainian and Russian governments,” Timoshenko said.
She did not rule out that RosUkrEnergo had shifted funds intended for gas payments to semi-legal spheres.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said he did not want to review gas agreements with Russia. In his opinion, Gazprom promises to stop gas supplies to Ukraine because of debts “resulted from the Ukrainian government’s wish to keep out the intermediary [RosUkrEnergo] and review gas charges.”
RosUkrEnergo [owned by Gazprom at 50%] buys gas from Gazprom Export and brings it to the Russian-Ukrainian border. There gas is sold to UkrGazEnergo [a joint venture between RosUkrEnergo and Neftegaz Ukrainy], which, in turn, delivers some of the gas to Ukrainian consumers and sells the rest to Neftegaz Ukrainy, which makes deliveries to heating plants and public sector companies.
RosUkrEnergo supplies Central Asian gas at the price of $179.5 per 1,000 cubic meters. This year’s supplies were set at 55 billion cubic meters. However, Central Asian gas supplies dipped because of unprecedented frosts and RosUkrEnergo had to buy gas from Gazprom at the price of $314.7 per 1,000 cubic meters.
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=12349887
