Putin warns to cancel gas discount for Ukraine
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail Xinhua, June 25, 2015
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday suggested to cancel the discount for natural gas supply to Ukraine considering the oil price drop.
"The key issue here is the price. It is clear that with such a serious fall in oil prices, which is used to set the gas price, we cannot provide the same discount as before," an online official statement quoted Putin as saying.
However, he promised during a government meeting that the final gas price for Ukrainian consumers should not be higher than the level of neighboring countries like Poland.
Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said earlier in the day that new pricing arrangement would be discussed during trilateral gas talks among Ukraine, Russia and the EU scheduled by the end of June.
On Monday, Ukrainian Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn said that Kiev hopes to reach an agreement with Russia on the further extension of a discount on the natural gas price.
A deal to grant Kiev a discount of 100 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters was reached between the two sides in October 2014 under the mediation of the EU to help the cash-strapped Ukraine overcome the winter heating season.
After the agreement has expired on March 31, Russia extended the discount until June 30.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)