Top Official Says Gazprom Wants Ukraine to Keep Gas Intermediary

Threats by the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom to reduce gas supplies to Ukraine are aimed at forcing the Yuliya Tymoshenko cabinet to keep gas intermediaries on the national market, First Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Turchynov has said.

He said in an interview with the private news channel 5 Kanal on 27 February that the state-owned oil and gas company Naftohaz Ukrayiny had paid off its debt for gas consumed in 2007 and then reiterated that the cabinet was ready to pay for gas supplied in 2008. He, however, added that Ukraine and Russia should first sign a contract on gas supplies, as was agreed by President Viktor Yushchenko and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 12 February.

Turchynov also said the cabinet was strong enough to resist pressure from those opposing its efforts to ruin murky schemes and eliminate corrupt intermediaries.

Excerpts from Turchynov’s interview will be processed by 1900 gmt on 28 February.

Originally published by 5 Kanal TV, Kiev, in Ukrainian 1900 27 Feb 08.

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