Kiev : Ukraine is planning to raise tariffs on the transit of Russian natural gas via its territory in response to Moscow’s decision to raise gas prices, a senior lawmaker said Thursday.
“Negotiations on this issue have actually begun. We have emphasised the need to lift such tariffs,” said Sergei Sobolev, leader of “Fatherland,” a pro-government parliament faction.
Russia’s move to charge Ukraine around $480 per 1,000 cubic metres of gas is forcing Kiev to raise transit fees up to market prices, Sobolev said.
Under a “gas for fleet” deal signed in April 2010, Russia offered a 100-dollar discount for gas supplies to Ukraine in exchange for extending its lease of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea for 25 more years.
Last week, the Kremlin announced a plan to cancel the discount, saying that the pact signed in 2010 no longer existed as Moscow has taken control of Crimea.
Ukraine, through which around 60 percent of Russia’s Europe-bound fuel transits, currently charges Moscow $2.8 for 1,000 cubic metres of gas per 100 km of transit.
In 2013, Ukraine delivered 86 billion cubic metres of Russian gas to consumers in Europe, up 3.2 percent year on year.