Brussels, 06/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - The Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz has made several payments since the end of October to settle an unpaid bill of $882 million for Russian gas supplied in August.
On 6 November, the Russian gas company Gazprom confirmed that Naftogaz had already made three partial payments to cover its outstanding debt for supplies of gas in August. The payments made on 30 October (US$50 million), 31 October (US$30.9 million) and 1 November ($10 million) “cover just a small fraction” of the US$882 million due on 1 October, Gazprom said on Wednesday, adding that it expected a payment of US$6.2 million on 4 November and the same again on 5 November.
Two commercial disputes over gas between Russia and Ukraine in the winters of 2006 and 2009 led to interruptions in the supply of Russian gas to the EU. Nearly 80% of the imports of gas provided by Gazprom, which provides 25% of all gas consumed in Europe, transits via Ukraine. (EH/transl.fl)