Moscow - Gazprom says Ukraine owes it $7 billion for failing to take contracted gas minimums in 2012, but the Russian gas giant has not said whether it will seek redress in arbitration.
“The contract specifies volumes, shortfalls in take-up. Under the contract we have the right to compensation for shortfalls in gas take-up. We are acting in accordance with the contract,” Alexander Medvedev, a deputy CEO of Gazprom and the head of Gazprom Export, said at a press conference.
But he declined to respond when asked directly whether the company would file suit over the debt.
As for Ukraine’s plans to import gas from Europe utilizing pipelines shipping gas in the reverse direction, Medvedev said: “There are all sorts of reverses: actual reverse and virtual reverse. In continental Europe, virtual reverse is a generally accepted practice, and Gazprom is a participant in such deals.”
“But it is impossible to carry out a flawless virtual reverse if no supplier is participating. Participation of a supplier, a buyer, a transport operator and the transport system owner is required,” he said.
Organizing reverse schemes without a supplier is “amateur hour,” he said. “Don’t forget that we are dealing with a complex system.”
“The contract stipulates certain rules for certifying receipt of gas at one or another delivery point. It is impossible to say unilaterally that ‘we are instituting a reverse.’ It’s not just wrong, it’s unsafe in every aspect. We must analyze what is going on and who is participating,” he said.
