UJ.com

Top 2 

                        THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2024
Make Homepage /  Add Bookmark
Front Page
Nation
Business
Search
Subscription
Advertising
About us
Copyright
Contact
 

   Username:
   Password:


Registration

 
GISMETEO.RU
UJ Week
Top 1   

    
Nation    

Gazprom CEO: No payment problem in Jan.
Journal Staff Report

MOSCOW, Dec. 15 – The head of Russian energy giant Gazprom on Tuesday said he expected no problems with Ukraine paying next month for natural gas imported in December.

"I am confident that Ukraine will pay for these supplies,” Alexei Miller told reporters. “I presume that Gazprom officials will be celebrating New Year at their homes.”

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government has been desperately trying to borrow at least $2 billion this month from the International Monetary Fund or other lenders to be able to pay for gas imports.

The government is facing an estimated 45 billion hryvnias, or $5.4 billion, financing gap in December alone, analysts said. Without the borrowing the government may have to choose of whether to pay for gas imports or to pay out wages and social security for millions of people.

Hryhoriy Nemyria, deputy prime minister, has been visiting Washington last week for talks with the leaders of the IMF seeking to secure the lending before the end of December.

But the New York Times, citing an unnamed IMF official three days after the Nemyria visit, reported the Fund will postpone the lending until after the presidential election in Ukraine due on January 17, 2010.

Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Sunday contested the story, arguing there was still a chance that the IMF would disburse the money to Ukraine before the end of the month.

Ukraine needs to make the payment for gas before January 7, but will probably have to make the payment earlier, perhaps on January 5, analysts said.

Russia and Ukraine celebrate Orthodox Christmas on January 7 and banks in both countries will probably be closed for the holidays on that day.

Miller also said Ukraine has been using more Russian gas in December than planned, due to the cold weather and the country's slight economic upturn.

He said Kiev, which has so far paid 20% less than Russian gas consumers in Europe, will start paying the average European price from January 1.

Ukraine, which transits 80% of Russian gas to Europe, will receive a total of 27 billion cubic meters in 2009, compared to an average of 55 billion cubic meters in the pre-crisis years.

Earlier this month, Ukraine's national energy firm Naftogaz gave assurances that no new gas crisis with Russia was looming, as it had been paying for supplies on schedule.

Naftogaz and Russian gas monopoly Gazprom signed a 10-year contract in January, ending the New Year dispute and resuming supplies to and via Ukraine. (tl/ri/ez)




Log in

Print article E-mail article


Currencies (in hryvnias)
  28.03.2024 prev
USD 39.23 39.14
RUR 0.425 0.422
EUR 42.44 42.44

Stock Market
  27.03.2024 prev
PFTS 507.0 507.0
source: PFTS

OTHER NEWS

Ukrainian Journal   
Front PageNationBusinessEditorialFeatureAdvertisingSubscriptionAdvertisingSearchAbout usCopyrightContact
Copyright 2005 Ukrainian Journal. All rights reserved
Programmed by TAC webstudio