Ukrainian Journal reported that Ukraine paid in full for Russian natural gas supplies in March, meeting the deadline of April 7th and averting a clash and supply disruptions.
Also, Naftogaz and Gazprom, ending three-month talks signed a technical agreement in Moscow that specifies natural gas flows and transit via Ukrainian gas pipelines to Europe this year. The technical agreement is a follow up to a boarder agreement signed on January 19th that had ended standoff and gas supply disruptions between Naftogaz and Gazprom earlier in January.
Naftogaz said in a statement that “The parties signed the technical agreement that accompanies implementation of contracts in 2009 to 2019 on gas purchasing and transit.”
Mr Bohdan Sokolovskiy top energy advisor to President Mr Viktor Yushchenko said the technical agreement would improve cooperation between Naftogaz and Gazprom. He said that “This is a sort of a road map of technical cooperation. So, we received a normal way of planning gas flows, and mutual actions in general.”
According to the broad agreement signed by Naftogaz and Gazprom on January 19th the Ukrainian company must pay the Russian gas giant within a week for gas consumed the previous month. The money, about USD 343 million was transferred to Gazprom before of the day on Monday.
The issue is in focus since early March when Russian Prime Minister Mr Vlaidmir Putin has warned that Gazprom could cut gas supplies to Ukraine and to Europe if Ukraine fails to make a timely gas payment.
Analysts said the failure to make the payment on time would allow Gazprom to demand a prepayment for future gas supplies a condition that the cash-strapped Naftogaz would not be able to meet.
Ukraine imported about 1 billion cubic meters of gas in March, unchanged from the previous month, and up from about 500 million cubic meters imported in January.
