Sochi, Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had pressured Gazprom into agreeing to accept Ukrainian gas debt at the minimal price of 268 dollars per thousand cubic meters.
“I had to turn the heat up on Gazprom and ask it not to insist on this price [$5.3 billion, based on $485 per thousand cubic meters]. Let them pay at least $3.5 billion and you can sort things out from there,” Putin said at a meeting of the Valdai international discussion club.
The repayment by Ukraine of $3.1 billion for gas supplied in 2013 and 2014, based on a price of $268, is part of the “winter package” that Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission are discussing at trilateral talks. Naftogaz and Gazprom have taken their price dispute to court and the amount will be adjusted, depending on the arbitration ruling.
Putin said he could not understand why European bodies that want association with Ukraine could not promptly provide it with the money to buy gas. The IMF and EU cite red tape as the reason for not being able to provide Kyiv with funding quickly.
“Here, both in Russia and in Ukraine, we have the same mindset, and Europe seems to have another. Here, if a gentleman invites a lady to a restaurant, he pays for her. But there it’s the Hamburg reckoning, you all pay for yourselves. But this is a different case. The EU has proposed association with Ukraine and has taken on a certain responsibility. Well then, help Ukraine, give them a bridge loan for at least a month,” Putin said.
