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Russia-Ukraine gas dispute

Ukraine still fails to pay gas bills in full — Gazprom

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on January 20 that Russia would honor its obligations in gas cooperation with Ukraine only if Kiev repaid its debts for natural gas supplies

© ITAR-TASS/Vitaliy Hrabar

VIENNA, January 28. /TASS/. Ukraine is still not paying gas bills in full, Gazprom Deputy CEO Alexander Medvedev said at the European gas conference in Vienna on Wednesday.

"Ukraine is still not paying bills in full in accordance with its contractual obligations," he said.

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Russia's support for Ukraine will not be endless — Russian PM

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on January 20 that Russia would honor its obligations in gas cooperation with Ukraine only if Kiev repaid its debts for natural gas supplies.

The premier instructed the Gazprom head to seek Kiev’s repayment of its gas debt currently at $2.440 billion and approved Gazprom’s corresponding letter for Ukraine’s Naftogaz national energy company.

"We proceed from the fact that these accords (with Ukraine on gas supplies) can be normally fulfilled only if the existing debt is repaid," the premier said at a meeting with Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller and Energy Minister Alexander Novak.

Ukraine repaid $3.1 billion worth of gas debts before Gazprom restarted gas supplies to the ex-Soviet republic as part of a winter package agreed between Moscow and Kiev with the EU’s mediation in Brussels late last year, the Gazprom CEO said earlier. "But this is only a part of the debt," he said.

"Under the three-party agreements, gas supplies to Ukraine are made on condition that the country should repay $3.1 billion for deliveries in November-December 2013, and also for supplies in April-May-June 2014," the Gazprom head said.

"Over this period, 11.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas worth $5.296 billion were supplied," Miller said.

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Ukraine Gazprom Russia-Ukraine Gas Dispute

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