#36 - JRL 2009-164 - JRL Home
Ukraine to raise Russian gas transit fee by 65-70% in 2010
KIEV, September 3 (RIA Novosti) - Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said on Thursday that Kiev would raise Russian natural gas transit fees by 65-70% in 2010, depending on oil prices.
"This issue was discussed during her meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Poland," the Ukrainian premier's press office said.
Gas prices are linked to oil prices with a time lag of about six months.
Ukraine's national gas company Naftogaz said in financial statements on Wednesday that it expected Russian natural gas transit fees to rise 57-60% from 2010.
Tymoshenko and Putin met in Poland on September 1. According to Tymoshenko, both premiers noted that "not a single setback" had been registered in Russian natural gas supplies and transit in the first eight months of the year.
Tymoshenko also said that Ukraine's purchase of Russian natural gas in 2010 would not be higher than in 2009 and would amount to 27-33 billion cubic meters instead of 52 billion cubic meters as stipulated in a bilateral contract.
Tymoshenko told a Cabinet meeting that this agreement was also reached during her meeting with Putin in Poland.
"Next year, we'll purchase 27-33 billion cubic meters of gas, depending on the economic situation," Tymoshenko said, adding that in 2009 Ukraine would purchase a total of 33 billion cubic meters of Russian gas.
The Ukrainian premier said that Ukraine would not be charged any penalties for the purchase of Russian natural gas in amounts smaller than those stipulated in the contract.
"There will be no penalties. This is ruled out," she said.
Russia, which supplies around one quarter of Europe's gas, briefly shut down supplies via Ukraine's pipeline system at the start of the year during a dispute over Kiev's debt for supplies. Ukraine transits around 80% of Russia's Europe-bound gas.
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