St. Petersburg - Russia is ready for a constructive dialogue on gas issues with Ukraine but does not accept a language of ultimatums and groundless demands, President Vladimir Putin has said.
“We are ready for constructive dialogue but it should be conducted not on the basis of groundless demands or ultimatums but on the basis of civilized market work,” Putin said at a meeting in St. Petersburg with the heads of global news agencies on Saturday.
He reiterated that “there is no politics” in Russia’s actions on the gas issue with Ukraine.
“Pay your debts at least for the period when discounts were in force – until April 1 this year,” Putin urged Kyiv.
“You are asking us for a lower price but pay for at least what has accumulated as debt for the period when all discounts were in force. No, they refuse to pay even that. The leaders of several European countries told me: “Wait for a little more. They will now get the first tranche form the IMF and pay.” No, they don’t pay, they ate up our money – [$]3 billion, but did not pay a single dollar. They received [money] from the IMF, and again nothing,” Putin said.
