Ukraine’s Naftogaz transfers $1.65 bln to Russia’s Gazprom under Brussels agreements

Ukraine’s Naftogaz has transferred 1.65 billion U.S. dollars to Russia’s Gazprom as repayment its gas debts, Naftogaz said on Wednesday.

Thus, in line with the agreements reached in Brussels, Naftogaz has paid 3.1 billion U.S. dollars in two tranches to pay for 11.5 billion cubic metres of gas supplied by Gazprom in November-December 2013 and April-June 2014. The first tranche of 1.45 billion U.S. dollars was transferred on November 4.

In October, Gazprom and Naftogaz reached an agreement to resume Russian gas supplies to Ukraine on condition Naftogaz repays its 3.1 billion U.S. dollar debt. In early December, Naftogaz made an advance payment for gas supplies in December.
[itar-tass.com]
24/12/14
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Related:

• Russia to Halt Gas Sales to Ukraine if Kiev Fails to Repay $1.65Bln

• Question of gas supplies from Russia to be settled soon (Ukrainian energy minister)

• EU to Continue Financial Aid Provision for Ukraine's Gas Debt Repayment (Official)

• Kiev Agrees With IMF to Pay for Russian Gas During Winter Period From Own Exchange Reserve

Russia to Halt Gas Sales to Ukraine if Kiev Fails to Repay $1.65Bln

Russia will stop gas sales to Ukraine if Kiev fails to repay $1.65 billion of its gas debt to Russia, Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Tuesday.

"Under the agreement, there will be no supplies in January if the debt of $1.65 billion remains unsettled," the minister said.

Novak said the price of Russian gas for Ukraine is estimated to range between $340 and $360 per 1,000 cubic meters in the first quarter of 2015.

"Our [previous] discussions in the month of October were based on price forecast of $360. At the moment, the price may be lower… I think, [it will be at] $340-$360," he said.

The Minister said that after the discount of $100 per 1,000 cubic meters, granted by Russia's Gazprom to Ukraine's Naftogaz, expires on April 1, the price of Russian gas to Ukraine will amount to about $440. According to Novak, Moscow is ready to consider a request for a new discount, but so far Ukrainian authorities have not asked for it.

After a six-month break, Russia resumed gas sales to Ukraine on December 9. A temporary agreement between Moscow and Kiev, in force during the cold season, stipulates that Ukraine should repay $3.1 billion of its $5.3-billion gas debt.

Ukraine's state-run oil and gas company Naftogaz repaid $1.45 billion of its gas debt to Gazprom in early December and allocated $378 million as prepayment for future supplies of 1 billion cubic meters of gas.

On Monday Ukrainian Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchishin told journalists that Ukraine so far has purchased some 300 million cubic meters of Russian gas under the so-called "winter package."

On the same day in an interview on Rossiya-24 television Novak expressed hope that Russia and Ukraine will continue their cooperation in gas deliveries even after the ten-year contract on gas transit and supply between Gazprom and Naftogaz expires in 2019.
 [sputniknews.com]
23/12/14
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• Question of gas supplies from Russia to be settled soon (Ukrainian energy minister)

• EU to Continue Financial Aid Provision for Ukraine's Gas Debt Repayment (Official)

• Kiev Agrees With IMF to Pay for Russian Gas During Winter Period From Own Exchange Reserve

EU to Continue Financial Aid Provision for Ukraine's Gas Debt Repayment (Official)

The European Union intends to continue the provision of financial assistance to Ukraine to help the country repay its debt for Russian gas, EU Ambassador to Russia Vigaudas Ushatskas stated Wednesday.

"Our aid reaches billion euros, including what we have already given and will give [to Ukraine]. We have been helping to reach a treaty between Russia and Ukraine on the whole range of complex gas issues. And we will allocate the amounts that will be needed to pay off [debts for] gas," Ushatskas told Ekho Moskvy radio.
According to him, the European Union and Russia share common interests in stabilizing the situation in Ukraine.

"Neither Russia, nor the European Commission, nor the IMF should be some kind of 'auntie' that would care for Ukraine all the time... Of course, this requires internal political, economic and social reforms for Ukraine not to be proclaimed as the most corrupt political system. On this basis the European Union highlights the unprecedented volumes of aid to Ukraine," Ushatskas added.

Ukraine's state oil and gas company Naftogaz said Tuesday that it had transferred the first tranche of $1.45 billion of its gas debt to Russia.

The final round of gas talks on October 30 between Russia and Ukraine, brokered by the European Union, ended with the signing of the so-called winter package agreement securing gas supplies to Ukraine until March.

Under the agreement, Russia will resume its delivery of gas to Ukraine at a price of $378 per 1,000 cubic meters till the end of 2014 and $365 for the same amount in the first quarter of 2015, while Kiev must pay Gazprom $3.1 billion of its debt to the company before the end of the year.

Gazprom switched Ukraine to a prepayment system for gas deliveries over its debt of more than $5 billion in June.(RIA Novosti)
5/11/14
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Related:

• Gazprom confirms Ukraine’s first $1.45bn gas tranche received...

• Gaz: Kiev a payé au russe Gazprom 1,45 milliard de dollars de sa dette ...

• Kiev Agrees With IMF to Pay for Russian Gas During Winter Period From Own Exchange Reserve

Kiev Agrees With IMF to Pay for Russian Gas During Winter Period From Own Exchange Reserve

Kiev has agreed with International Monetary Fund (IMF) that it will pay for Russian gas during the winter period from Ukraine's exchange reserves, the country's national bank said.

"We managed to agree with IMF that the payments for the gas can be made from our own exchange reserves and IMF will support us. That is why we are confident we can support all the payments to Gazprom on the recent gas agreement," the Head of Ukraine's National Bank Valeriia Gontareva said at the press briefing.
Earlier on Monday, Ukraine's Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan told RIA Novosti that Kiev has not yet paid for Russian gas, but aims to do so in the near future...................http://en.ria.ru/business/20141103/195047378/Kiev-Agrees-With-IMF-to-Pay-for-Russian-Gas-During-Winter-Period.html3/11/14
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Related:

• Russia Ukraine and EU agree gas supply deal (Günther H. Oettinger /EC)

• Settlement of remaining Ukraine debt to be discussed after Stockholm arbitration decision ...

Russia Ukraine and EU agree gas supply deal (Günther H. Oettinger /EC)

From the Official Website of the European Commission, Press release, Brussels, 30 October 2014:

"After seven rounds of gas negotiations, last night's talks moderated by Günther H. Oettinger, Vice-President of the European Commission, yielded finally a breakthrough: A 4,6 billion dollar winter package, agreed by Russia and Ukraine, secures gas for Ukraine - and ultimately also for Europe.

José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission who witnessed today's signing of the winter package, said: "I am delighted that I can announce a major success at the end of my mandate as President of the European Commission. With our strong support, Ukraine and Russia have today found agreement on their outstanding energy debt issues, and on an interim solution that enables supplies to continue this winter. I am glad that political responsibility, the logic of cooperation and simple economic sense have prevailed."

Günther H. Oettinger, Vice-President of the European Commission, said: "This breakthrough will not only make sure that Ukraine will have sufficient heating in the dead of the winter. It is also a contribution to the de-escalation between Russia and Ukraine."

The winter package consists of two documents: 

1. A binding protocol, signed by the European Commission (Vice-President Oettinger), the Russian Federation (Energy Minister Alexander Novak) and Ukraine (Energy Minister Yuri Prodan);
2. An addendum to the existing gas supply contract, signed by Gazprom of Russia (CEO Alexey Miller) and Naftogaz of Ukraine (CEO Andriy Kobolyev);

The package covers the period from now until the end of March 2015 and includes the following main points:

1.  Debts: Ukraine would settle its debts based on a preliminary price of $268,5/ 1000m3 by making payments in two tranches: 1,45 billion dollar without delay, and 1,65 billion dollar by the end of the year 2014. This adds in total up to 3,1 billon dollar of debt payment. The final price and thus the final sum of debt will be determined through the pending arbitration by the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce between Gazprom and Naftogaz.
2. New gas: Russia will deliver gas following advanced, monthly payments by Ukraine. The price is below $385/ 1000m3 and calculated according to a formula in the present contract and a price reduction through a discount in export duties by the Russian Federation. Ukraine is free to order as much gas as it needs and is not subject to take-or-pay obligations foreseen in the current contract. Ukraine foresees to purchase 4 bcm until the end of the year 2014, meaning 1,5 billion dollar.

In the last weeks, the European Commission has been working intensively with the International Financial Institutions (IFI) and Ukraine to help Ukraine prepay for deliveries of gas in the coming winter. Unprecedented levels of EU aid will be disbursed in a timely manner, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reassured Ukraine that it can use all financial means at its disposal to pay for gas. Further work with the IFIs on financial assistance to Ukraine, also in relation to gas supplies, will still continue, but all three sides are reassured that Ukraine will have the necessary financial means."

   http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-1238_en.htm?locale=en

   30/10/14 

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Related:

• Russia and Ukraine agree gas supply deal ...

• Gazprom CEO: No gas agreement to be signed until Ukraine, EU agree on financial guarantees

• Ukraine, US Discuss Liquefied Gas Deliveries: Kiev

Gazprom CEO: No gas agreement to be signed until Ukraine, EU agree on financial guarantees

No gas agreements will be signed until “Ukraine and the European Union reach an agreement on financial guarantees,” Alexei Miller, the CEO of Russia’s gas giant Gazprom, said after the first round of tripartite gas talks.
 
He said three documents had been prepared for signing at the tripartite gas talks between Russia, Ukraine and the European Union. According to Miller, these documents are two protocols: a protocol in a trilateral format between Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission and a bilateral protocol between the European Commission and Ukraine.

“Everything concerning financial issues, concerning guarantees the European Commission is to issue to Ukraine, these liabilities will be committed to paper in a bilateral protocol,” he said. “As for out trilateral protocol, all principal provisions of this trilateral document have been agreed. A technical supplement to the contract between Gazprom and Naftogaz has also been agreed.”

“Today, the talks ended with the sides taking a break till tomorrow. But the meeting, the talks will take place only in case the Ukrainian side and the European Commission reach an agreement on that bilateral protocol,” Miller said. “If there is no such agreement, naturally, there will be no meetings, no talks tomorrow and no documents will be signed. If Ukraine and the European Commission ultimately reach an agreement, hence, these three document might be signed tomorrow - two protocols and a supplement to the contract between Gazprom and Naftogaz. Everything that concerns our documents where Russia is the side, where Gazprom is the side, all these issues have by now been agreed........................http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/757272
30/10/14
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Related:

• Ukraine, Russia tackle gas crisis as tensions spike 

• Ukraine, US Discuss Liquefied Gas Deliveries: Kiev

• EU energy commissioner, Ukraine energy minister discuss forthcoming tripartite gas talks

• Russia submits draft gas agreement to EU, Ukraine

Ukraine, Russia tackle gas crisis as tensions spike

Ukraine and Russia were set Wednesday to resume crunch EU-mediated gas talks aimed at ending a months-long supply cut that threatens to hit swathes of Europe this winter.

The latest negotiations in ­Brussels come a day after Russia stirred ­tensions with its war-torn neighbor further by announcing plans to recognize the disputed leadership polls pro-Kremlin insurgents in eastern Ukraine intend to stage on Sunday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's comments drew a sharp rebuke from US Secretary of State John Kerry and coincided with a decision by EU leaders to keep sanctions in place against Moscow for its alleged meddling in Ukraine.

The former Soviet nation staged its own general election on Sunday that saw pro-European forces score a decisive victory at the expense of parties that once backed closer ties with Russia but now prefer to tread a more centrist course....................AFP......................http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/889055.shtml
29/10/14
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Related:

• Ukraine, US Discuss Liquefied Gas Deliveries: Kiev

• EU energy commissioner, Ukraine energy minister discuss forthcoming tripartite gas talks

• Russia submits draft gas agreement to EU, Ukraine

• Gas talks: Negotiations to be continued next week

EU energy commissioner, Ukraine energy minister discuss forthcoming tripartite gas talks

European energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger and Ukraine’s Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Yuri Prodan had a telephone conversation on Monday to discuss aspects of the forthcoming tripartite gas talks due in Brussels on October 29, a spokesman for the European Commission told TASS.

According to TASS information, the sides discussed issues of financial guarantees to Ukraine to pay for Russian gas supplies in November-December 2014.
The spokesman however refused to elaborate whether any agreement on that matter had been reached, saying only that preparatory work for the tripartite talls was underway.

 After the previous tripartite gas talks in Brussels on October 21, Oettinger admitted that Ukraine needed from one to two billion U.S. dollars to be able to pay for Russian gas. 

Kiev has already asked Brussels to issue short-term loans worth two billion euro but the European Commission has not yet confirmed whether that sum would be offered or not, noting that this issue would be subject of consultations in cooperation with the International Monetary Fund 
[itar-tass.com]
28/10/14
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Related:

• Russia submits draft gas agreement to EU, Ukraine

• Gas talks: Negotiations to be continued next week

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• Πρόταση Μέρκελ για ευρω-δάνειο στο Κίεβο, προκειμένου να καλυφθεί το χρέος για το ρωσικό φυσικό αέριο

Russia submits draft gas agreement to EU, Ukraine

Russia has submitted a draft trilateral protocol agreement to solve gas dispute to the EU and Ukraine, Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters Friday.

“I gave the draft trilateral protocol agreement to our partners in Ukraine and the EU on October 21, it is under their consideration,” Novak said. “I do not have the information on what proposals our partners in negotiations are discussing. They have promised to speak them out at trilateral consultations on October 29,” Novak said.

On October 17, Russia and Ukraine agreed on the gas price of US $385 per 1,000 cubic meters for the winter and Ukraine repaying at least $1.4 billion of its gas debt before the supplies restart, however no agreement had been signed during the previous trilateral gas talks on Tuesday, as Kiev has no money to fully repay the debt.

On Tuesday, Vice President of the European Commission Gunther Oettinger said the EU will soon discuss additional short-term financial aid to Ukraine to help the country repay its gas debt.
Novak said that Russia is ready to sign a new gas agreement with Ukraine as soon as the EU provides financial guarantees for the repayment of the debt and advanced payment for further supplies.
Ukraine needs Russia to sign a legally binding document to set a fixed and unchangeable price for gas, Energy Minister Yury Prodan said.
http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/756292
24/10/14
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• Gas talks: Negotiations to be continued next week

• Europe should respond to Ukraine’s statement on gas transit guarantees. ("Ukraine grants itself the right to steal Russian gas intended for European consumers")

• Novak: EU must undertake to guarantee Ukraine’s payment of debts for Russian gas 

• Russia doubts the legality of reverse gas supplies to Ukraine, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Tuesday....

Gas talks: Negotiations to be continued next week

From the Official Website of the European Commission, Statement, Brussels, 21 October 2014:

"At today's gas talks in Brussels, Vice-President Günther H. Oettinger, built on his Berlin proposals and presented ways to secure gas supplies to Europe and the Ukraine during the winter season.

Vice-President Günther H. Oettinger said: "We made another step towards a possible solution and are close to an agreement on important elements. Others still need to be addressed, such as the financial gap."

The following cornerstones are undisputed:

1. Debts: Ukraine would settle its debts based on a preliminary price of $268,5/ 1000m3 by making payments in two tranches: 1,45 billion $ by the end of October and 1,65 billion $ by the end of the year.

2. New gas: Ukraine will pay $385/ 1000m3 for gas to be delivered this winter without being subject to take-or-pay obligations. The exact volume has not been agreed yet. Russia will deliver the gas following advanced, monthly payments by Ukraine.

3. Transit fees: Russia guarantees the payment of the transit fees.

A new round of talks is envisaged for next week, 29 October 2014 in Brussels. Until then, the EU and Ukraine will explore ways how to close the financial gap.

A winter package is necessary as both Ukraine and Russia have referred the dispute to the international arbitration court in Stockholm and a final decision on the price and the debt is only expected next year."

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-14-331_en.htm?locale=en

21/10/14

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• Europe should respond to Ukraine’s statement on gas transit guarantees. ("Ukraine grants itself the right to steal Russian gas intended for European consumers")

• Novak: EU must undertake to guarantee Ukraine’s payment of debts for Russian gas 

• Russia doubts the legality of reverse gas supplies to Ukraine, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Tuesday....

Russia offers Ukraine more flexible schedule to pay gas debt

Russia's Energy Minister Alexander Novak said that Russia offered Ukraine a more flexible schedule to clear the debt for gas, RIA Novosti reports.

Under the new proposal, $1.451 billion is to be paid before the start of gas supplies. The rest of the amount - before the end of the year. The total debt is evaluated at $3.1 billion.

Novak added that Ukraine stood ready to pay in advance for only 4 billion cubic meters of gas instead of the offered 5 billion, which did not correspond to Russian interests.

Ukraine's debt for the Rusisan gas has not diminished. Ukraine's Prime Minister Yatsenyuk said that the payment was made in the amount of 1.67 billion dollars. However, an official spokesman for Gazprom said that the payment had not arrived.
Source: Pravda.Ru
13/10/14
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Related:

• Russian PM Medvedev Urges Compromise on Gas Dispute With Ukraine. "The debts must be paid off..."

• Ukraine disagrees to pay part of gas debt before supplies begin - Novak...

• Ukraine-Russia-EU gas talks postponed till next week. --Ukraine’s debt for gas exceeds $5 billion

• Ukrainian Energy Ministry Not Satisfied With Berlin ‘Winter Plan’ on Gas

Russian PM Medvedev Urges Compromise on Gas Dispute With Ukraine. "The debts must be paid off..."

MOSCOW, October 6  - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Monday that the terms of a deal on supplies of Russian natural gas to Ukraine should be acceptable for Kiev, but Ukraine still needs to pay its debts to Russia's energy giant Gazprom."There is no doubt that we have to continue searching for compromises, we should maintain contacts keeping in mind that the debts must be paid off, but the conditions for Ukraine in this situation must be sufficiently acceptable," Medvedev said at a meeting with Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak.

Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission are currently involved in trilateral talks on resolving the standing issues over Russian gas deliveries to Ukraine.
According to preliminary arrangements, Russia and Ukraine are expected to sign the so-called "winter package" on Russian gas supplies to Ukraine that envisions supply of five billion cubic meters of gas within half a year and with a possible increase in volume. The temporary price for 1,000 cubic meters of gas would be $385 for this period.
In June, Gazprom was forced to introduce a prepayment system for gas deliveries to Ukraine due to Kiev's massive debt which is currently estimated at $5.3 billion.
 (RIA Novosti)
  6/10/14
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Related:

• Date for Trilateral Gas Talks Remains Undefined: Ukraine’s Energy Ministry

• Ukraine-Russia-EU gas talks postponed till next week. --Ukraine’s debt for gas exceeds $5 billion

• Ukrainian Energy Ministry Not Satisfied With Berlin ‘Winter Plan’ on Gas

Reliable Gas Transit to Europe Possible Only If Ukraine Honors Contract (Gazprom)

Reliable Russian gas deliveries to Europe are possible only on the condition that Ukraine’s state-run gas company observes transit agreements, Russian energy giant Gazprom said Tuesday.

Gazprom board of directors discussed future relations with its Ukrainian partner at a meeting Tuesday. The Russian company had to switch to advance payment scheme over Ukraine’s outstanding gas debt of $5.3 billion.

“Special attention was paid to Russian gas deliveries to European consumers via Ukraine during the forthcoming winter season. 

Participants of the meeting stressed that the reliability of these supplies can be ensured only on the condition that Naftogaz of Ukraine strictly observes its transit contract,” the statement reads. 

“The board of directors was also advised to take measures to minimize the risks of disruption of supplies to European consumers during the 2014-2015 winter season.”
http://en.ria.ru/world/20140916/192990032/Reliable-Gas-Transit-to-Europe-Possible-Only-If-Ukraine-Honors.html
16/9/14
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Related:

• The Ukrainian national energy company Naftogaz owes Gazprom $5.3 billion for natural gas supplies, the Russian gas giant said on Tuesday....

Medvedev Names Moscow’s Terms for Resumption of Gas Cooperation With Ukraine

MOSCOW, September 3 (RIA Novosti) – Moscow will resume gas cooperation with Ukraine only when Kiev repays its “astronomical” debt to Russia in full and agrees to the average annual price of $385 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday.
“We are ready to discuss ways to resume our gas cooperation with Ukraine, a country that owes us. However, two preconditions must be fulfilled. Firstly, the existing debt, which has already risen to astronomical figures, must be repaid in full. And, secondly, even if the price is subject to seasonal revisions, the average annual price with a $100 discount… must be $385 per 1,000 cubic meters,” Medvedev told reporters, commenting on a recent statement by his Ukrainian counterpart Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

The Russian prime minister added that if Ukraine rejects the proposed $100 discount, the resulting price of $485 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas will suit the Russian side perfectly.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that Kiev offered Moscow two variants on gas pricing that would be set at $300 per 1,000 cubic meters during the low season and $380 during the winter season, or tie the gas prices to the spot market in Europe..................http://en.ria.ru/business/20140903/192605847/Medvedev-Names-Moscows-Terms-for-Resumption-of-Gas-Cooperation.html
3/9/14
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Related:

• Ukraine launches reverse-flow gas deliveries from Slovakia (Naftogaz)

• Kiev Again Rejects Russia’s Gas Discount Compromise Offer (Ukraine Energy Minister)

• Outcome of gas talks between Vice-President Oettinger and Russian Energy Minister Novak

• Oettinger says Ukraine may steal Russian transit gas in winter

US Officials Urge Ukraine to Reform Natgas Market (to encourage investment by international energy companies)

Ukraine must reform its historically inefficient and corrupt natural gas markets to guard against Russian aggression and supply controls, U.S. State Department officials told lawmakers on Tuesday.

After invading and annexing Crimea this year, Russia cut off natural gas supplies to Ukraine last month in a dispute over unpaid bills. Escalation of the nearly decade-long argument between Moscow and Ukraine over gas imports has raised concerns about a disruption of supplies to the rest of Europe.

Ukraine has enough gas for now, but the winter heating season looms. The United States is trying to make sure Ukraine, Bulgaria and other Eastern European countries are better able to integrate into the EU's energy market of 400 million customers to get reliable supplies from Russia and other countries.

"This is an opportunity, it's a moment in time for Ukraine to walk away from its past," Amos Hochstein, deputy assistant secretary for energy diplomacy with the State Department's Bureau of Energy Resources, told lawmakers on a Senate foreign relations subcommittee.

"Part of its past was a highly corrupt, inefficient system ... instead of using energy as a resource for stability and security, it was the opposite," he said.

Hoyt Yee, a State Department official for European and Eurasian Affairs, said corruption is not limited to Ukraine and that Washington is devoting greater resources to fight the problem in Central and Eastern Europe and in the Balkans.

Natural gas production in Ukraine still relies on highly inefficient 1970s Soviet technology, and its energy subsidies have hurt investments.

And Russia has accused Ukraine of siphoning off gas that was meant for shipment on to Europe, and of not paying its bills.

If the United States pours money into Ukraine to fix energy problems it will make little difference without the reforms, the officials told lawmakers.

"If corruption and inefficiency continue along with crippling energy subsidies for consumers, Ukraine will be right back where we all started," Hochstein said.

Senator Christopher Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, questioned how the United States can ask Ukraine to tear down its natural gas system and rebuild to make it more efficient and impose fuel price increases on consumers when the new government lacks money.

Hochstein said instead of abandoning Soviet-era natural gas infrastructure, Ukraine could embark on subsidy reform and better manage its existing system to encourage investment by international energy companies.
Ukraine has large shale gas resources that are not being developed, resources similar to ones in the United States that international energy companies have been drilling in recent years.
[voanews.com]
8/7/14
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China, Greece ink $4.6 billion in deals. "Greece can become China's gateway in Europe and the start of a European trade corridor"

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang visited  port of Piraeus in Greece on Friday, after a series of trade and investment deals worth $4.6 billion were signed between the two sides during Li 's three-day visit to Greece.

The deals included multi-billion-dollar Chinese bank loans to build at least 10 Greek-owned ships in Chinese shipyards. There were also agreements on the construction of solar energy parks in Greece, AFP reported.

"Cooperation between Greece and China is always mutually beneficial. China is fully confident about the prospect of Greece's development," Li said at a Thursday joint conference with Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, adding that China would continue to be a "long-term and responsible" investor.

Li also called for more investment in the Piraeus Container Terminal project at Greece's largest port, which is jointly run by Chinese shipping giant COSCO and the Greek port authority.

Another $1.9 billion worth of deals are expected to be signed, mostly in infrastructure, transport and energy, according to local media.

• Greek is willing to deepen cooperation and cultural exchanges and will actively take part in the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, according to Samaras. "Greece can become China's gateway in Europe and the start of a European trade corridor," he said.

• China provided timely support during the Greek debt crisis, which brought confidence and strength, Samaras said. Li also expressed appreciation for Greek assistance during the evacuation of Chinese nationals from Libya in 2011.

Li and Samaras also inaugurated a rail link that will transport goods from Piraeus to central Europe, Associated Press reported Friday.
Source:Agencies  - globaltimes.cn
21/6/14
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• Υπόσχεση ενίσχυσης του ελληνικού τουρισμού από την Κίνα

 ----

• Δεν υπάρχουν ιδιαίτερα φορολογικά προνόμια για την COSCO δηλώνει στέλεχος της εταιρείας 

• Νέος «σκόπελος» στο φιλικό διακανονισμό ΟΛΠ - Cosco. Σκιές στην απο-κρατικοποίηση

 ---

 

Silk Road inscription into World Heritage list "hopeful" 

Kiev talks on gas go on, Ukraine's Energy Ministry reports

The three-sided talks on gas are going on in Kiev, an official in the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy and the Coal Industry told ITAR-TASS early Monday.

"The talks are going on," the Ministry official said without specifying either venue of the meeting or its participants.

According to unconfirmed information, the talks with the participation of representatives of Russia, Ukraine, and the European Union are being held in the building of Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers, not at Kiev-based Hilton Hotel, as was announced earlier. Media people were not allowed to be present at the talks.

The deadline for the introduction of a prepayment mode for Ukraine expires at ten a.m., Moscow time, on Monday unless Gazprom receives $1.950 billion from Naftogaz in repayment of the debt for November-December 2013 and repayment of the debt for the April and May of this year.

The three-sided talks on gas are going on in Kiev, an official in the press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy and the Coal Industry told ITAR-TASS.

Lights are on on the 6th floor of the building where the meeting is taking place, an Itar-Tass correspondent reports from a place in the environs of the building in downtown area.

• At about 01:10, Moscow time, EU Commissioner for Energy Guenther Oettinger re-joined the talks. He had adjourned from the negotiating process for some time earlier.

The talks are off limits to the press. Media people are keeping vigil near the main entrance to the government building. None of negotiators came out to meet them so far.
[KIEV, June 16, /ITAR-TASS]
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Related:

• Gas talks will continue morning June 15 (Prodan)

• Saturday talks in Kiev continued well into the night, ending at about 3 am Moscow time on Sunday without any result achieved, Russian Gazprom gas giant spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov told reporters.......The new date of the talks was not fixed, he added

 ----

• Gazprom delays prepayment gas supply regime for Ukraine until June 16

Gas talks will continue morning June 15 (Prodan)

No solution yet...

The tripartite talks on gas will continue in Kiev on June 15, Ukraine’s Minister of Energy and Coal Industry, appointed by the country’s parliament (Verkhovna Rada), Yuri Prodan told reporters on Sunday.

“At the past meeting, every side has expressed its suggestions,” he said. 


“A solution is not ready....

.....Thus, as the EU commissioner [Gunther Oettinger] has suggested, the talks will continue tomorrow morning,” the minister said.
[KIEV, June 15, 0:17 /ITAR-TASS]
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Related:

• Εναλλακτικό πλάνο για το ενδεχόμενο διακοπής της προμήθειας φυσικού αερίου από τη Ρωσία προετοιμάζει η Ουκρανία

• Gaz russe: l'Ukraine se prépare à une coupure des livraisons

• Gazprom: Ο εφοδιασμός της Ουκρανίας με φυσικό αέριο μέσω... Λαμίας αντιτίθεται στη συμφωνία που έχουμε υπογράψει

• Ukraine Rejects Russian Offer to Cut Gas Price

Naftogaz propose un prix temporaire pour le gaz russe à 326 dollars

L'Ukraine est prête à payer la Russie 326 dollars par 1000 mètres cubes du gaz durant la procédure dans l'arbitrage de Stockholm, a déclaré le président du conseil d'administration de Naftogaz, Andreï Kobolev.

Selon Kobolev, il s’agit d’un prix moyen entre le prix actuel du gaz pour l'Ukraine au début de l'année (265,5 dollars par 1000 mètres cubes) et le prix, sur lequel insiste Gazprom, dont 385 dollars.... {La Voix de la Russie}
13/6/14 
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• Ukraine files lawsuit contest Russian gas pricing

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Gazprom delays prepayment gas supply regime for Ukraine until June 16

This said Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller following his talks with European Commissioner for Energy Guenther Oettinger...

Russian energy giant Gazprom decided to postpone until June 16 an introduction of the prepayment regime for the natural gas supplies to Ukraine, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said on Wednesday.

“Bilateral consultations between the European Commission and the Russian delegation were held today in Brussels,” Miller said following his talks with European Commissioner for Energy Guenther Oettinger.

“The Russian side made an advance to maintain constructive negotiations,” he said. “The prepayment regime will not be activated at 10:00 a.m. Moscow time on Wednesday and its introduction has been moved for the next Monday at 10:00 a.m.”

Besides Miller, the bilateral consultations with Oettinger in Brussles also involved Russian Eenergy Minister Alexander Novak. The talks lasted for nearly two and a half hours.

The issue of Ukraine’s natural gas debt to Russia was also in the focus of President Vladimir Putin’s telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel late on Tuesday night.
“Putin stressed that despite the emerged difficulties the Russian delegation obliges to continue the talks basing on the constructive stance and with the aim of achieving a mutually beneficial agreement,” the Kremlin said commenting on the results of the telephone conversation.

Russia, Ukraine and the European Union met on late Monday in Brussels for the fifth round of the three-party gas talks, which lasted for almost eight hours and ended on early Tuesday with the participating sides failing to reach a final agreement. The participants decided to continue the negotiations on late Tuesday.
However, Oettinger’s spokeswoman Sabine Berger later said that the talks were rescheduled for Wednesday morning at 9:30 local time (7:30 GMT) as the Russian delegates had to fly to Moscow to coordinate their positions with President Putin and returned to Brussels late on Tuesday night.
Following the trilateral talks on Tuesday, Novak said that the Russian gas price for Ukraine for June, July and August was for the first time discussed at the negotiations.

Kiev has already repaid part of its gas debt to Moscow following previous rounds of gas talks. Novak confirmed Moscow’s position that Ukraine should repay the gas debt for November-December 2013 to the tune of $1.451 billion (as of June 2) and $500 million for April-May 2014 by June 10............http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/735690
11/6/14
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