The Russian gas giant Gazprom and Ukraine signed an agreement on Tuesday aimed at resolving their financial issue, a matter that Russia insists is of an economic nature but which has largely coincided with the Ukrainian parliamentary elections.
"The agreement was signed between the parties involved regarding the resolution of the gas debt for supplies delivered to Ukraine this year," the gas company stated in a press release."The agreement confirms the amount of the debt and establishes the methods of its repayment before November 1," it continued, without providing further details.
Gazprom, often portrayed as the Kremlin’s armed wing in diplomatic relations with former Soviet satellites, surprised many a week ago by roughly announcing that it could reduce gas supplies to Ukraine if it does not pay the $1.3 billion debt by the end of October. This alarmed Gazprom’s Western clients, who had already experienced supply issues in early 2006 during the first gas crisis between Ukraine and Russia, and advocated for a swift resolution to the problem.
The signing on Tuesday follows an agreement reached on Monday between Gazprom’s head Alexey Miller and Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuriy Boyko, according to Gazprom. (Hina)
