Gazprom to cut supplies to Ukraine from June if no prepayment

If Kiev does not pay its gas bills by June 2, exports to Ukraine will be halted the next day, Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller said. Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev meanwhile urged demanding advanced payment from Kiev as early as Tuesday.

Miller told Medvedev on Monday that Gazprom will issue a preliminary June bill to Ukraine’s Naftogaz on May 13. 


According to Miller, Kiev already owes the company more than $3.5 billion, which compares to Gazprom’s annual gas supply to Poland. 

“In case Ukraine does not pay for the June supplies, Gazprom will notify the Ukrainian side, before 10am on June 3, and the volume of gas will be supplied to Ukraine in accordance with the advanced payment,” Miller said. 

He added that if Kiev pays for zero cubic meters of gas, it will receive none.
DETAILS TO FOLLOW 
[rt.com]
12/4/14
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Related:

• Russia says no gas talks with Ukraine until debt paid

• Ukraine can’t guarantee gas storage and transit to Europe. - Alexander Novak, Russian minister

• Russia, EU, Ukraine fail to reach agreement at gas talks

• Ukraine erkennt Gasschulden gegenüber Russland nicht an.

Russia says no gas talks with Ukraine until debt paid

Moscow on Monday ruled out holding new negotiations with Ukraine over the price it pays for Russia's natural gas until Kiev covered its outstanding debts.

The announcement raises the possibility of Russia following through on its threat to cut off deliveries to Ukraine next month in a move that would endanger the supplies of at least 18 EU nations.

"We are saying that in order to discuss any sort of compromise, the debts must be paid first," news agencies quoted Russia's Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Yanovsky as saying.

"Pay the debts and then we can agree on something."

• Ukraine has refused to cover its obligations -- put at $3.51 billion (2.55 billion euros) by the Russian energy ministry -- in protest over Moscow's decision to nearly double the price it charges its neighbour for gas imports following the February overthrow of Kiev's Kremlin-backed regime.

Russia announced on Thursday that it will require Ukraine to pay upfront for all the natural gas it imports starting on June 1.

Ukrainian and Russian officials were due to meet behind closed doors with European Union counterparts in Brussels on Monday to discuss the possibility of arranging a ministerial meeting between the three sides on the gas dispute later this month.

The first round of negotiations conducted in Warsaw last week resulted in an agreement that Russia would not scale back its gas exports while the talks continued.

Nearly 15 percent of all gas consumed in Europe is delivered from Russia via Ukraine.

• The danger for the EU is that Ukraine -- its state coffers effectively empty and almost completely reliant on $17 billion promised by the International Monetary Fund -- will not cover its debt and instead start taking the gas Russia had earmarked for its European clients.

The nation of 46 million began dipping into supplies meant for Europe when it was cut off from Russian gas during previous price disputes in 2006 and 2009.
[channelnewsasia.com]
12/5/14
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Related:

• Ukraine can’t guarantee gas storage and transit to Europe. - Alexander Novak, Russian minister

• Russia, EU, Ukraine fail to reach agreement at gas talks

• Ukraine erkennt Gasschulden gegenüber Russland nicht an.

Gazprom sends Ukraine $11.4bn bill for unshipped gas. - In the take-or-pay contract Ukraine is obliged to pay for the volume agreed

Russia’s Gazprom, the world’s biggest natural gas producer, has sent a $11.4 billion bill to Ukraine’s Naftogaz. The money is for the two thirds of the gas it failed to use under its 2009 take-or-pay contract .
According to the contract Naftogaz had to consume 41.6 billion cubic meters of gas last year, while Ukraine used only 12.9 billion cubic meters, Bloomberg quotes Aliona Osmolovska, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian company as saying.

• In the take-or-pay contract Ukraine is obliged to pay for the volume agreed, whether it is used or not.

Ukraine is looking to avoid dependence on Russia, accusing President Vladimir Putin of using energy exports as a political tool. 

About half of Ukrainian gas imports come from Russia and 15 percent of Europe’s annual gas consumption goes through Ukrainian pipelines. This makes the energy issue a central problem as tensions with Russia escalate. 

“Russia is clearly whipping up tension before Ukraine’s talks with Europe, understanding that Naftogaz won’t pay,” Bloomberg quotes Bohdan Sokolovskyi, an energy adviser to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko. 

• “Under the contract, Gazprom truly has the right to demand $11.4 billion. The other issue is the contract was unfair.”

In the talks with Europe Ukraine wants to reverse the flow in EU-bound pipelines to supply its domestic needs. 

• Last week Vladimir Putin said that Gazprom will switch to a pre-payment system next month if Ukraine doesn’t settle the accumulated $2.2 billion gas debt. 

Currently Ukraine needs to pay $485 per a thousand of cubic metres of Russian gas, which compares to $268.5 agreed between Russia and Ukraine in December.
Kiev has repeatedly said this price is “unacceptable”, purely "political" and isn't ready to pay it. 
[rt.com]
24/4/14
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Related:
 

• EU agrees to talks with Russia on Ukraine gas supply.- Barroso

• Slovakia, Ukraine and EU hold talks on reverse gas flow

• Ukraine ready to pay $386 per 1,000 cubic metres of gas

• Ukraine to Gazprom: We won’t accept new gas prices and are suspending payments

Ukraine’s debt for Russian gas supplies over $1.8 billion — Gazprom CEO

Ukraine’s debt for Russian gas supplies by country’s gas giant Gazprom makes more than $1.8 billion now, Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller told reporters Thursday.

Ukraine’s debt for Russian gas supplies by country’s gas giant Gazprom makes more than $1.8 billion now, Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller told reporters Thursday.


“Today Ukraine’s gas debt makes more than $1.8 billion . Meanwhile, the debt keeps growing from month to month from the beginning of the year. Yes, Ukraine is in a deep political crisis, but it is needed to pay for gas.

 Today we see that our actions towards Ukraine are absolutely lawful. We have all rights under effective contract to pass to prepayment for Russian gas supplies to Ukraine. 

But we do not do this and we realise that this is a very important aspect so that an economic collapse will not break out in Ukraine and so that risks for Russian gas transit to Europe will not arise,” Miller said.
en.itar-tass
13/3/14
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Related;

• Four European Nations Appeal for US Natural Gas Exports

• Miller: Gazprom cannot supply gas to Ukraine for free

• Naftogaz notifies Gazprom about its inability to pay for gas supplies in February

Miller: Gazprom cannot supply gas to Ukraine for free

Russia’s gas monopoly Gazprom has received no payments from Naftogaz, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said.

MOSCOW, March 07. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s gas monopoly Gazprom has received no payments from Ukraine’s state energy company Naftogaz Ukrainy for February’s Russian gas supplies, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller told journalists on Friday.


“Today, on February 7, was the deadline for payments for February’s gas deliveries to Ukraine,” he said. “Gazprom has received no debt payments. With a discount in the first quarter, Ukraine’s overdue debt for gas has significantly increased, reaching 1.860 billion dollars.”
“This actually means that Ukraine has stopped paying for Russian gas. This contradicts completely provisions of the contract and international trade practice,” Miller said. “We have always fulfilled and we will fulfill our contractual obligations.”

“However, we cannot supply gas for free. Either Ukraine clears the debt and pays for current deliveries, or there is a risk to return to the situation in early 2009,” he said, referring to the gas dispute between Russia and Ukraine, when Gazprom temporarily halted deliveries to Naftogaz.
“We will keep the Russian government informed of the current situation,” he added.
http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/722649
6/3/14
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Related:

• Naftogaz notifies Gazprom about its inability to pay for gas supplies in February

• Gazprom to Cancel Gas Discount for Ukraine

• Ukraine increases Russian gas imports, braces for hike

• Να ακυρώσει τη συμφωνία «φθηνότερου φυσικού αερίου» με την Ουκρανία μελετά η Gazprom λόγω του τεράστιου χρέους

Naftogaz notifies Gazprom about its inability to pay for gas supplies in February

Naftogaz warned about possible problems with payment for Russian gas supplies in February a week ago, a source in Gazprom said.

MOSCOW, March 04. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine’s energy company Naftogaz on Monday notified Russia’s national gas utility Gazprom that it would not be able to pay the entire sum for the Russian gas it had bought in February, a source in Gazprom told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

Naftogaz warned about possible problems with payment for Russian gas supplies in February a week ago.

According to Ukraine’s Minister of Energy Yuriy Prodan, Naftogaz is to pay about $400 million for gas imports in February under the contracts between Naftogaz and Gazprom.
In December 2013, Gazprom said it would reduce the gas price for Naftogaz by 33% to $268.5 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas. The then gas price was $400 per 1,000 cubic meters.
The undiscounted price for Russian gas in the first quarter of 2014 would be $378 per 1,000 cubic meters.
Earlier on Tuesday, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said that Gazprom had taken a decision to cancel gas discounts for Ukraine from April 2014. “In the situation when Ukraine does not fulfill its liabilities, does not fulfill those agreements which were reached in an addendum to the contract on granting the gas price discount Gazprom decided not to extend the discount from the beginning of the next month,” Miller said.
http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/722076
4/3/14
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Related:

• Gazprom to Cancel Gas Discount for Ukraine

• Ukraine increases Russian gas imports, braces for hike

• Να ακυρώσει τη συμφωνία «φθηνότερου φυσικού αερίου» με την Ουκρανία μελετά η Gazprom λόγω του τεράστιου χρέους

• Ukraine to ensure uninterrupted transit of Russian gas. – Deputy Premier, Yuri Boiko

Naftogaz zahlt nur 15 Mio US-Dollar für Oktober-Gas – Gazprom spricht von Milliardenschulden.

Der ukrainische Versorger Naftogaz wird dem russischen Monopolisten Gazprom für das im Oktober bezogene Gas nur 15 Millionen US-Dollar zahlen.

Das sagte ein ranghoher Naftogaz-Vertreter, der anonym bleiben wollte, am Donnerstag in Kiew nach Angaben der ukrainischen Nachrichtenagentur UNIAN. 

„Naftogaz wird für Oktober nur für das real bezogene Gas zahlen - 15 Millionen Dollar“, wurde der Gesprächspartner von der Agentur zitiert.

Zuvor hatte Gazprom-Sprecher Sergej Kuprijanow erklärt, dass Naftogaz am (heutigen) Donnerstag 1,335 Milliarden Dollar für das Oktober-Gas zu zahlen hat. 

• Laut Vertrag, in dem die Bedingung „take or pay“ festgeschrieben ist, soll Naftogaz bis zum 7. eines Monats für den vorangegangenen Monat zahlen.

.ria.ru
7/11/13
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ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ:

• Αγωγή Κατά της Ουκρανίας για Αθέτηση Συμβολαίου Φυσικού Αερίου θα Καταθέσει η Ρωσία

Αγωγή κατά της Ουκρανίας ετοιμάζεται να καταθέσει η Ρωσία, επικαλούμενη την αποτυχία του Κιέβου να αγοράσει τον όγκο φυσικού αερίου που αναγράφεται στις συμβάσεις του 2009, όταν πρωθυπουργός ήταν η Γιούλια Τιμοσένκο.

Όπως μεταδίδει το Interfax, τα παραπάνω έκανε γνωστά ο Ολεκσάνταρ Γιεφρέμοβ, ηγέτης του Κόμματος των Περιφερειών στο ουκρανικό Κοινοβούλιο, από το οποίο προέρχεται ο σημερινός Πρόεδρος της χώρας Βίκτορ Γιανουκόβιτς.

«Επί του παρόντος, η Ρωσία ετοιμάζει αγωγή που θα κατατεθεί σε σουηδικό δικαστήριο. Δεν ξέρω κατά πόσο ισχύει κάτι τέτοιο, αλλά έχουμε λάβει αυτές τις πληροφορίες. Η αγωγή σχετίζεται με σύμβαση του 2009 για την αγορά φυσικού αερίου αξίας 10 δισ. δολ., το οποίο όμως δεν έχει αγοραστεί» δήλωσε ο Γιεφρέμοβ.

Υπενθυμίζεται ότι, από την προηγούμενη εβδομάδα, το Κρεμλίνο και η Gazprom ζητούν την πληρωμή των οφειλών της Ουκρανίας για προμήθεια φυσικού αερίου από τη Ρωσία για τον μήνα Αύγουστο, τις οποίες υπολογίζουν σε περίπου 900 εκατ. Δολάρια. Ωστόσο, το Κίεβο επικαλείται ταμειακή αδυναμία και, όπως παραδέχθηκε και η ίδια η Gazprom προχθές, Τρίτη, διά του επισήμου εκπροσώπου της, Σεργκέι Κουπριγιάνοφ, έχει λάβει από την Ουκρανία μικρές δόσεις για την εξόφληση του χρέους του Αυγούστου, ο οποίος, ωστόσο, έσπευσε να διευκρινίσει πως, για το ρωσικό κολοσσό φυσικού αερίου, με τις δόσεις αυτές «δεν μπορεί ούτε λόγος να γίνει για πλήρη εξόφληση του χρέους».

Θα πρέπει, πάντως, να σημειωθεί πως πίσω από την τρέχουσα διαμάχη για τα χρέη της Ουκρανίας προς τη Ρωσία δε βρίσκεται, σύμφωνα με πολλούς αναλυτές, παρά η προσπάθεια του Κρεμλίνου να αποτρέψει, πάση θυσία, το ενδεχόμενο το Κίεβο να συνάψει συμφωνία σύνδεσης με την Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση κατά τη Σύνοδο Κορυφής της 28ης και 29ης Νοεμβρίου (μάλιστα, οι Βρυξέλλες θέτουν ως όρο για την υπογραφή την απελευθέρωση της πρώην πρωθυπουργού Γιούλια Τιμόσενκο), σηματοδοτώντας, έτσι, τη ρήξη στις σχέσεις του με τη Μόσχα. Η νέα όξυνση στις ρωσοουκρανικές σχέσεις απειλεί την Ευρώπη με μία νέα κρίση στην προμήθεια φυσικού αερίου από τη Ρωσία, μετά από αυτές του 2006 και του 2009.
 energia.gr
7/11/13

• energia.gr: Σχέσεις Ε.Ε. - Ρωσίας: Μία «Καυτή Πατάτα» στα Χέρια της Ελληνικής Προεδρίας

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