Gazprom duty-bound to require Ukraine prepay for gas - Energy Ministry official
Requiring Ukraine to prepay for gas in the event it fails to uphold its payment commitments is not just an option for Gazprom, it is a duty, Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Yanovsky told journalists.
"Switching to prepayment is not just an option for Gazprom, it is a duty prescribed in the contract," Yanovsky said.
One argument for doing so is that Gazprom must pay export duties on the gas in advance, he said.
"A can inform you that today in two hours a working meeting will commence in Brussels between officials from the Russian Energy Ministry, Gazprom, the European Commission and our colleagues from the Ukrainian energy ministry," he said.
"It is preparatory, technical in nature. We hope that the meeting scheduled in Moscow will take place," he said when asked about the outlook for a new round of negotiations on May 16.
