Moscow : Russia Tuesday dismissed reports that it mobilised troops along its border with Ukraine after Crimea, a former Ukrainian republic, acceded to it.
“Results of monitoring, which are recognised even by Ukraine, are obvious and the data speaks for itself,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a statement citing the recent inspection put out by Ukrainian experts.
Peskov blamed the Western governments for “unfair behaviour”.
The spokesman also saw no reason to give Ukraine a discount in the price it pays for Russian gas.
“Since there is no Russian fleet in Ukraine, there’s no reason for discounts,” Peskov said. “There’s no reason to pay in line with agreement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and ousted Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, because there’s no legitimate authority in Ukraine.”
President Putin agreed last year to provide Ukraine with a $15-billion loan and gas supplies on a discounted price of $268.5 per 1,000 cubic metres. Previously, Russia sold gas to Ukraine for $400 per 1,000 cubic metres.
Under a “gas for fleet” deal signed in April 2010, Russia agreed to a 30 percent price drop for gas supplies to Ukraine in exchange for extending its lease of the naval base in Sevastopol for 25 more years.
The city of Sevastopol, along with Crimea, joined Russia last week after a referendum, which is still not recognized by major Western powers.
The Ukrainian troops were Monday ordered to pull out of Crimea.
Ukraine’s acting President Alexander Turchynov said the government would evacuate military personnel, their families and civilians from Crimea in the near future.