Today Gazprom will transfer Ukraine to prepayment – media
Moscow - Kyiv, June 16 (Navigator, Mikhail Stamm) - Gazprom will today transfer Ukraine to prepayment, which will create preconditions for problems with the transit of Russian gas to Europe. But the supply situation will only worsen until the fall, which gives the parties a chance to continue negotiations.
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Gazprom this morning is likely to make good on its two-month-old threat and supply gas to Ukraine only on an advance payment basis, several sources familiar with the situation told Kommersant. This means that supplies to Ukraine will be stopped because Kyiv refused to pay the advance, and Gazprom will continue to supply gas to the Ukrainian gas transportation system (GTS) only for transit to Europe.
According to the publication, on Monday morning there will be a meeting with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev with the participation of Gazprom head Alexei Miller, during which the transfer to prepayment may be officially announced. The parties had their last chance to reach an agreement late yesterday evening, but the negotiations ended without result.
According to the publication’s interlocutors, the negotiations were derailed due to the refusal of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to stop the special operation in eastern Ukraine, as well as due to Ukraine’s refusal to pay the entire gas debt accumulated before April 1. The newspaper's interlocutors in the Russian government are convinced that Ukraine's ultimatum position is connected with the influence of the United States, which is trying to prevent the improvement of relations between Moscow and Kyiv.
“Let them block it, we still have time, and we can negotiate normally until September, without buying gas from Russia at all,” says a Kommersant source at Naftogaz, recalling that the low summer gas consumption in Ukraine is almost completely covered in its own prey. But during the heating season, gas consumption in Ukraine will increase by 3,5-4 times, and Kyiv will have to either negotiate with Gazprom or take gas from the transit flow, which will lead to interruptions in supplies to Europe. “Then Russia will again raise the issue of the need for South Stream, so the interruptions, in a sense, play into Gazprom’s hands,” says Mikhail Gonchar, director of energy programs at the Nomos center.
Let us remember that in January 2009, during the most acute Russian-Ukrainian gas crisis, when supplies to Europe were interrupted for three weeks.
Gazprom will switch Ukraine to prepayment today – media