Russia forced to supply gas to Ukraine upon prepayment only - Putin
15 May 2014, 18:07 -- There was no choice over the decision to demand pre-payment from Ukraine, and Moscow is prepared for dialogue to normalize the situation, said Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'I would like to point out once again. This (transition to a pre-payment system) is a forced one,' he said in a message distributed by the Kremlin's press-service. Ukraine's gas debt has rocketed to $3.508 billion from $2.237 billion over a month, added the President.
'Russia remains open to further consultations and joint actions with European countries for the sake of normalizing the situation,' Putin said.
'We hope for a more active dialogue on the part of the European Commission designed to work out specific, fair decisions to stabilize the Ukrainian economy,' Putin emphasized.
'Very sadly, we have to state that we did not receive from our (Western) partners any detailed proposals on how to stabilize the performance of our Ukrainian customer on its contract obligations and to ensure reliable transfers,' Putin said.
Russia's Energy Minister, Alexander Novak, earlier stated that Russia does not see that Ukraine has any ability to pay for natural gas supplies, even if a discount is provided, due to the economically complicated situation in the country.
He added that the Russian side does has no guarantees that Ukraine will be able to pay for gas supplies even with a discount.
'We do not have guarantees that even if a price of $100 is set, these bills will be paid by the Ukrainian side. What we see today is complete insolvency,' the minister noted.
Ukraine's gas debt
Since the beginning of May, Ukraine's Naftogaz has acquired 1.350 billion cu. m of Russian gas. In April, Ukraine has imported 2.7 billion cu. m, according to Gasprom.
To date, the outstanding debt of Naftogaz amounts to $3.508 billion, therefore 'no one has a doubt that this is a substantial and non-biased reason for applying the relevant paragraph of the contract on prepayment,' Kupriyanov said May 13.
'If you buy natural gas, you should pay for it. All gas companies have specific payment conditions,' said Gertjan Lankhorst, head of International Gas Union, commenting on the issue of Nagtogaz's nonpayment for Russian gas, its debt and the switch to prepayment mode. He believes that the switch to prepayment mode 'may be more difficult for the client in terms of payments.'
'If as a result of that, consumers will not receive gas, this would surely affect Ukraine, and, I'm afraid, Europe as well,' Lankhorst said.
Payment for energy resources must not be linked to politics - Russian PM
Payments for the energy resources Russia exports should have no connection with politics, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at the International Energy Forum. 'Energy resources deliveries must be paid for. I hope that is understood by all countries, all consumers, both those who are present and those who are absent for various reasons, including Ukraine, which has been mentioned here,' he said.
Forced diversification of energy supplies a risk to economies - Medvedev
The forced diversification of energy supplies poses considerable risks to the stability of resource provision, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at the 14th ministerial meeting of the International Energy Forum.
'Politicizing energy supplies creates serious risks for energy security. The forced diversification of energy supplies could result in a breakdown in traditional economic relations, gigantic costs and unprofitable production. In these conditions, and beating in mind the economic instability, all of this could affect the development of national economies,' Medvedev said.
Russia will continue to honor energy contracts - Medvedev
Russia will continue to honor energy contracts, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at the 14th International Energy Forum ministerial meeting.
'Our country has, throughout its development, recommended itself as a reliable and responsible partner in the energy markets. We have honored our contractual obligations, and I would like to say, we intend to carry on doing so. Therefore we are making and will be making our contribution to both global and regional energy security. And we care about our reputation very much,' he said.
All partners are important to Russia, both European and Asian, he said.
'I would like to stress in particular that all partners are of importance to Russia, both Asian and European partners, and we are not refusing anybody we aren't going to say 'no' to anybody,' he said.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
