London, Oct. 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko has said he believes former Premier Yulia Tymoshenko acted contrary to national interests while signing the gas contracts with Russia in 2009.
"Ukraine cannot service this contract. It brings us losses annually. If you take the transit, we annually receive $4 billion less than we ought to. We annually pay some $3.5 billion more for gas than its market price," Yuschenko said in an interview with BBC.
"Why has Germany got a base price of $250 per [1,000 cubic meters of gas], Slovakia and Austria have from $250 to $300, and Ukraine has $450? And I’ve named the states that are on the same branch of the pipeline. Why, being closer to the source of production, is Ukraine paying the same price as in the Alps on the border between France and Italy? How has it happened that Ukraine pays such an inappropriate, non-market price?" the former president said.
At the same time, Yuschenko criticized the current president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, for not breaking the 2009 agreement on gas supply with Russia.
