“We want to hear the Russian answer, including [the answer] on the issue of giving Ukraine back 2.2 billion cubic meters of gas,” Yatsenyuk said.
Yatsenyuk added the gas was had been stored underground by Chernomornaftogaz underground.
“According to Gazprom prices, [gas volume] is worth $1 billion,” Yatsenyuk said.
The Glebovsky facility has a capacity to store a maximum of 1.2 billion cubic meters of gas. As of May 15, a total of 768 million cubic meters of gas have been pumped into the facility.
Until Crimea’s reunification with Russia in mid-March, Chernomorneftegaz belonged to Ukrainian energy giant Naftogaz. After the referendum on secession from Ukraine, the company was nationalized.
Chernomorneftegaz currently operates as a Crimean republican enterprise. Last year, Chernomorneftegaz extracted 1.6 billion cubic meters of gas.
Earlier this month, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry demanded that Russia hand over 2 billion cubic meters of gas stored at the Crimean facility.
[en.ria.ru]
27/5/14
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Ukraine raised the stakes in a dispute with Russia over gas supplies on Tuesday, saying Russian state-controlled company Gazprom owed Kyiv natural gas worth around $1 billion which it had "stolen'' when Moscow annexed Crimea.....
ReplyDeleteRussia has warned it will reduce gas supplies to Ukraine on June 3 if Kyiv fails to pay in advance for next month's deliveries, causing concerns that onward supplies to Europe could be threatened.
With newfound confidence inspired by the election of a Ukrainian president at the weekend, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said gas talks with Russia could not progress until he heard Moscow's response on giving back the 2.2 billion cubic meters of gas which he said was taken when the country's Black Sea region was annexed by Russia in March.
The dispute has strained ties between the two neighbors since Moscow almost doubled the price for its deliveries to Ukraine after protesters toppled a pro-Russia Ukrainian president.
Implications for EU
It has also renewed concern in the European Union that there could be disruptions to Russian supplies delivered through pipelines that cross Ukraine.
"We want to hear a response from Russia... on the question of returning to Ukraine 2.2 billion cubic meters of gas which Russia stole through Chernomornaftogaz on the territory of [Crimea]," Yatsenyuk told a televised session of his cabinet.
He did not explain the source of that figure but Kyiv had referred earlier to a similar figure held in storage in Crimea.
Yatsenyuk also said if there was no agreement between the two sides by May 29, Ukraine would next meet Gazprom at the Stockholm arbitration court, which would try to resolve the dispute..................http://www.voanews.com/content/ukraine-stolen-gas-claim-raises-stakes-in-dispute-with-russia-/1923315.html
Russia Bats Off Yatsenyuk's Accusation of Gas Stealing...
ReplyDeleteActing Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Tuesday that Russia should return the $1 billion worth of gas that he said it stole while annexing Crimea, and accused Moscow of not being trustworthy when it comes to negotiating.
“We would like to hear an explanation from Russia, including the answer to the question of returning the 2.2 billion cubic meters of gas it stole through Chernomorneftegaz on Crimean territory, which is worth $1 billion in Gazprom's prices,” Yatsenyuk said, the 112 Ukraine television channel reported.
A spokesman for Chernomorneftegaz earlier said the allegation was groundless because the company has the capacity to store a maximum of 1.2 billion cubic meters of gas, adding that as of May 15 it had just 768 million cubic meters.
Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said Tuesday that he had no idea what Yatsenyuk was talking about when accusing Moscow of stealing gas, Reuters reported.
Russia and Ukraine are struggling to agree on a price for future gas supplies. Starting from April 1, the price for Ukraine went from $268.5 to $485 per 1,000 cubic meters, whereas Europe pays $380 on average. The situation is further complicated by Kiev's unpaid debt for previous supplies, which Gazprom estimates at $3.5 billion. Ukraine earlier accepted that it owes Russia $2.2 billion, but has refused to pay it while the two sides continue to butt heads over the current gas contract.
Yatsenyuk also warned Gazprom that if it does not sign a contract with Naftogaz by Thursday, the companies will have to settle the price dispute at the international arbitration court in Stockholm, Sweden.
However, he said that Ukraine does not trust Russia and has asked for the European Union and the U.S. to act as intermediaries in the gas talks.
“If we sat with them at a table for two they would definitely fool you and then would say everything was as it is, keeping a straight intelligent face,” Yatsenyuk said, Interfax reported Tuesday.
EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger said that Ukraine and Russia had made progress on agreeing a price on Monday and that Kiev has confirmed it would consider paying off $2 billion of its debts by Thursday, possibly leading to further talks on Friday. He also said Ukraine could hand over an additional $500 million in June for gas deliveries in May........http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/500972.html
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