Russia has hit Ukraine with a $7 billion bill for gas deliveries just as Kyiv took a step toward greater energy independence by signing a deal with Royal Dutch Shell PLC to explore for shale gas, an official at Ukraine's state energy firm said.
The bill is for gas that Ukraine didn’t take in 2012 but that Russia says it is obliged to pay for under a “take-or-pay” clause in the contract. Naftogaz Ukraine, the state energy company, will ignore the bill as it warned it would take smaller volumes and has already paid in full for last year’s supplies, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
