Moscow, Dec. 1 (Interfax) - Gazprom hopes that Ukraine will pay its gas debt to the company before the year's end.
“This is the condition for us to switch to long-term contracts with Naftogaz Ukrainy, as it was provided by the intergovernmental memorandum. We count on this very much,” Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov told the Vesti Nedeli TV program.
The main task is to settle of problems with Ukraine’s colleagues before the end of 2008, he said.
The spokesman, however, noted that Gazprom hopes that Ukraine will pay the debt for September and a part of October by December 1. “We hope that we will get the debt for September and a part of October paid by December 1, as it was agreed, and will begin talks on our further cooperation on [December] 2,” he said.
Gazprom expressed readiness to pay for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine’s territory in advance, the spokesman said. “This could have been a considerable assistance as to the debt payment,” he said.
Until the debt is paid, the only price for 2009 that can be discussed is “the price equal to the European,” Kupriyanov said. “And the current price in Europe is over $400” per 1,000 cubic meters, he added.
