Gazprom raises possibility gas deliveries to Ukraine could be halted over debts
Ukraine's rising debt for Russian natural gas sets the stage for the emergence of a new gas transit crisis, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller told journalists.
"Today, March 7, was the payment deadline for February's deliveries of gas to Ukraine. Gazprom has not received payment on the debt. Including the price discount in effect in the first quarter, the overdue debt for gas has increased significantly and now totals $1.890 billion," he said.
"In fact, this means that Ukraine has stopped paying for gas," Miller said.
"This is completely at odds with the provisions of the contract and international trade practice. For our part, we have always met and will meet our contractual obligations. But we can't supply gas free of charge. Either Ukraine repays its debt and pays for current deliveries or the risk of returning to the situation at the beginning of 2009 will appear. We will notify the Russian government concerning the situation that is taking shape," Miller said.
It is the first time in five years that Russian-Ukrainian relations have been likened to the situation at the beginning of 2009, when a gas transit crisis caused cuts in Russian gas supplies to consumers in Europe lasting 20 days.
