"Предложенные Российской Федерацией условия о повышении цен на газ до 250 долл. с учетом резкого падения мировых цен на нефть являются фактическим установлением для Украины среднеевропейской цены на природный газ", - сказано в документе.
Цена газа для Украины в 2009г. должна составить 201 долл. за 1 тыс. куб. м, ставка транзита российского газа - не менее 2 долл. за 1 тыс. куб. м на 100 км. Об этом говорится в обнародованном сегодня совместном заявлении президента Украины Виктора Ющенко и премьер-министра Юлии Тимошенко .
"Предложенные Российской Федерацией условия о повышении цен на газ до 250 долл. с учетом резкого падения мировых цен на нефть являются фактическим установлением для Украины среднеевропейской цены на природный газ", - сказано в документе.
"В то же время российская сторона предлагает сохранить ставку транзита 1,7 долл., что более чем вдвое ниже среднеевропейских показателей. Такой уровень транзитной ставки делает практически невозможной поддержание газотранспортной системы в надлежащем техническом состоянии", - отмечают украинские руководители.
В заявлении В.Ющенко и Ю.Тимошенко не говорится о том, какие меры Украина намерена предпринять в связи с решением Газпрома заметно снизить объем поставок газа в республику. Напомним, что ранее в Киеве уверяли, что запасов газа в подземных хранилищах страны хватит надолго. Однако позже на Украине стали намекать на возможность отбора газа, предназначенного для западных потребителей.
Газпром полностью прекратил поставки газа на Украину
ОАО "Газпром" официально сообщило о прекращении в полном объеме сегодня в 10:00 мск поставок газа на Украину, сообщили в Газпроме.
Как отметили в департаменте информации газового холдинга, объем поставок снижен на 100%, или на 90 млн куб. м газа в сутки. При этом объем транзита сохраняется в полном объеме - 300 млн куб. м в сутки.
Украинские власти в официальном заявлении, подписанном президентом Виктором Ющенко и главой правительства Юлией Тимошенко , попросили российский концерн не сокращать поставки газа до окончания переговоров. Вместе с тем в Киеве по-прежнему настаивают на снижении цены на поставки газа для республики и повышения цены транзита газа для европейских потребителей.
Ранее сообщалось, что Газпром предлагал Украине льготную цену на поставки газа в размере 250 долл. за 1 тыс. куб. м, но "Нефтегаз Украины" отверг это предложение. Одним из препятствий для заключения контракта между сторонами было наличие долга "Нефтегаза Украины" за ранее поставленный газ в размере более 2 млрд долл. 30 декабря 2008г. "Нефтегаз Украины" перечислил RosUkrEnergo около 1,5 млрд долл. и настаивал на том, что штрафы за несвоевременную оплату газа будет платить после завершения срока контракта. Вместе с тем Газпром называл необходимым условием для заключения контракта на 2009г. оплату долга в полном объеме.
On October 2, 2008, a memorandum of understanding was signed by both Ukraine and Russia's prime ministers. The main provisions of this memorandum included a transition to long-term contracts for direct supply of natural gas to Naftogaz Ukrainy and the transition to market pricing in the supply and transit of gas that would begin in 2011. Both of these provisions were contingent upon the agreement that Naftogaz Ukrainy would repay its existing debt to Gazprom.
We are sorry to report that after many months of negotiations between Naftogaz Ukrainy and Gazprom on how to implement the provisions of this memorandum, we have not been able to resolve the primary issue of debt repayment for gas that has already been supplied to Ukraine.
Naftogaz Ukrainy has not fulfilled the primary provisions of the memorandum, namely paying its debt to the Russian-Ukrainian company RosUkrEnergo, which holds the contract to trade gas in 2008. That growing debt is preventing RosUkrEnergo from paying Gazprom.
We have sought out every possible option and done everything we can to figure out a way for our Ukrainian partners to retire their debt. For example, we actively assisted on behalf of Naftogaz Ukrainy in its negotiations with Deutsche Bank AG to secure more financing for the company's day-to-day operations and to retire some of its debt. As another option, Gazprom developed a plan to retire Naftogaz Ukrainy's debt through the allowance of Russian gas transit through Ukraine. None of these options have worked out and recent statements from our Ukrainian partners on the issue of their debt have become increasingly contradictory which has contributed to the confusion and difficulty of our negotiations.
We entered these discussions very eager to sign a long-term gas export and transit agreement with our Ukrainian partners, but as a commercial company that is responsible to our shareholders, we are unable to do so unless Naftogaz Ukrainy commits to repaying its debts.
Background Information:
Over the past months Gazprom has gone to great lengths to resolve the problem of Ukrainian debt. By the end of 2008 Ukraine will owe Gazprom more than USD 2 billion for gas delivered by Gazprom to Naftogaz Ukrainy.
Gazprom has left no stone unturned to avoid the reduction of supplies to Ukraine. Taking Ukraine's grave financial situation into consideration, Gazprom has proposed various solutions, such as prepayment of transit fees, to help Ukraine settle its debt, but so far its efforts have been in vain.
Deliveries to Ukraine and transit to the EU member states are regulated by separate contracts. There is a long term transit contract for gas for Europe in place under which Ukraine is obliged to transit gas to Europe. The gas delivery contract to Ukraine however is expiring by the end of 2008 and has to be renegotiated.
Russian Prime Minister Putin and Ukrainian Prime Minister Tymoshenko agreed on 2 October 2008 that there would be a new delivery contract that would provide for a gradual transition to market prices for Ukraine by 2011, under the clear condition Ukraine settles its outstanding debt with Gazprom. The agreement also includes a provision to cut out RosUkrEnergo as an intermediary, meeting a long-standing demand by the Ukrainian side.
Gazprom is a commercial organization. It is a company that is responsible to its shareholders; it is also a company making substantial investments. There is not a single company in the world that would supply its commodities free of charge. Gazprom has accepted a gradual increase of the gas price to accommodate the needs of its neighbor, but it is not in a position to simply forgo USD 2 billion.
In case Ukraine does not stick to its part of the deal and does not pay its debt, Gazprom will not be in a position to sign a new delivery contract with Ukraine with favorable terms.
The gas prices of the past years speak for themselves. Ukraine currently receives gas for a price of $179.5 per 1000 cubic meters, which is by far one of the lowest prices paid by a European country. This gas is sold by Naftogaz Ukrainy to end-users in Ukraine at a price of USD 320.
For every 1,000 cubic meters of gas Ukraine paid USD 50 in 2005, USD 95 in 2006, and USD 135 in 2007. Similar transitions to market prices are being managed successfully in other ex-USSR countries such as Armenia, Moldova, Belarus and the Baltic States.
Many countries are suffering from global financial crisis, but Ukraine is alone in refusing to pay for natural gas or reduce its consumption. Gazprom clients such as Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, Greece, Hungary and others have all paid for their gas or worked with Gazprom to find market-oriented solutions to any financial issues. No other country has defaulted on its payments for gas without reducing its consumption.
The Ukrainian side claims that part of the gas delivered in the autumn was pumped into reservoirs and has not been sold to consumers yet. This in no way absolves Ukraine from paying Gazprom for this gas; clearly, Gazprom cannot be expected to finance Ukraine's gas reserves.
Ukraine's latest breach of its contract obligations highlights the timeliness and importance of the speediest implementation of projects such as Nord Stream and South Stream that will substantially enhance security of Russian gas supplies to Europe. However, the Ukrainian gas corridor will remain crucial to meet Europe's increasing gas demand.
