Ukraine not accepting Russian gas price of $485 per 1,000 cubic meters, ready to pay $268, says PM
Ukraine does not accept the natural gas price of $485 per 1,000 cubic meters, but is ready to buy Russian gas at $268 per 1,000 cubic meters, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk has said.
"Political pressure will not work, we do not accept the price of $500 [per 1,000 cubic meters]… Ukraine is ready to continue to buy the natural gas at a price which was at the beginning of this year - $268 [per 1,000 cubic meters]. This is an acceptable and balanced market price. We are ready to make all payments for the previous gas supplies, and we are waiting for a reply from Gazprom," the prime minister said opening a government meeting in Kyiv on Saturday.
At the same time, we can understand the current situation where Russia "sets the price of $500 for Ukraine, dealing a direct blow to our chemical industry and our people," he said.
"We have several options, and we shall use all measures and methods. I want to point out separately that in our legal relations with the Russian monopolist Gazprom we shall use all methods, including international-law ones, to resolve the situation," he said.
