By RIA Novosti
Kiev : Ukraine and Russia have put off talks on their long-running natural gas dispute by one day until Wednesday, Ukraine’s oil and gas company Naftogaz said on Tuesday.
The former Soviet allies partially resolved their dispute last Thursday, agreeing that Ukraine would pay off about a $1 billion of its debt and that talks would continue on a supply scheme for 2008, after Russian gas monopoly Gazprom restored supplies, which were cut by 50% early last week.
“The talks will take place tomorrow, on March 12,” Naftogaz spokesman Valentin Zemlyanskiy said, without giving further details.
Last week the company said talks would resume on Tuesday.
Ukraine’s presidential spokesman earlier said the talks would be based on a deal reached by Presidents Viktor Yushchenko and Vladimir Putin in mid-February, when they agreed to remove intermediaries, which Kiev earlier blamed for accumulating its gas debt, and set up two joint ventures between Gazprom and Ukraine’s national energy company Naftogaz.
In instructions issued to Naftogaz on Friday Yushchenko also reiterated that Gazprom’s share of gas shipments and direct gas sales within Ukraine could be between 25 and 50%.
However, tensions could persist as Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has objected to creating new joint ventures, insisting on direct deals between Gazprom and Naftogaz.
The latest spat between Moscow and Kiev raised fears in Europe that Ukraine could tap gas destined for its consumers to make up for the shortfall.
Later today the European Commission is to convene a gas coordination group meeting to discuss the crisis. During a similar gas row at New Year 2006, Gazprom briefly cut off supplies to Ukraine, which transits about 80% of Russia’s Europe-bound gas. Some European consumers reported a shortfall in gas shipments.
The former Soviet allies agreed last year to supply gas at $179 for 1,000 cubic meters in 2008 for Central Asian gas brought by Gazprom, the price for Russian gas was set at $315 per 1,000 cu m.