Naftogaz Ukraine recognizes its gas debt

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A document confirming significant debts of Naftogaz Ukraine to Ukrgaz Energo Joint-Stock Company for the natural gas delivered from Russia was obtained by Kommersant newspaper (Russia). REGNUM received a copy of the document.

In a formal notice of January 31 addressed to Valery Golubev, the first vice president of the Gazprom board, Igor Didenko, the vice president of the Naftogaz Ukraine board, confirms the debts to the Ukrgaz Energo Joint-Stock Company as of January, 1, 2008 worth $1,040.5 million. “Naftogaz Ukraine is ready to repay the debts within six-eight weeks after registering the financial resources attracted from the Deutsche Bank, with which the company is having talks now,” says the notice. Gazprom has confirmed receiving the letter to Kommersant, but said it does not regard it as a guarantee of the payment.

Didenko’s letter also contains Ukraine’s key demand — direct purchase of the Central Asian gas from Gazprom under the price that was agreed upon earlier ($179.5 for 1,000 cubic meters). Meanwhile, they in Gazprom insist that direct purchase will mean deliveries of the Russian gas (as the Central Asian gas is completely contracted by RosUkrEnergo) at the price of $314.7 per 1,000 cubic meters.

It is worth mentioning, earlier Ukrainian officials either rejected the presence of a gas duty to Russia or made responsible for it some “third parties”. In particular, Alexander Turchinov, the first deputy premier of Ukraine, stated that the demands of Gazprom to repay the debt “mean that Ukrgaz Energo company is failing pay off with RosUkrEnergo in due time, and RosUkrEnergo, in its turn, is failing to do it with Gazprom. At the same time, Gazprom wants the state to guarantee the payments for the gas by intermediaries”. Meanwhile, as the letter by Didenko runs, the primary source of delayed payments for the gas delivered to Ukraine is on the party of Naftogaz Ukraine.