Russia, Ukraine Agree Gas Volumes – Minister

NOVO-OGARYOVO. Dec 8 (Interfax) – Russia is “ready to export to Ukraine all the necessary volumes of natural gas” under an agreement for 2006 but “transparency” in Russian-Ukrainian gas trade and the price for Russian gas transit through Ukraine remain unresolved, a Russian minister said on Thursday.

A Russian-Ukrainian deal reached on Thursday means “absolutely clear understanding as regards volumes of gas cooperation for next year,” Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko said, speaking at a conference chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Moscow and Kyiv have no disputes about how much gas should transit Ukraine and how much should be exported to Ukraine itself in 2006, he said.

The transit volume has been set at 112 billion cubic meters, an amount “that doesn’t give any doubts either to us or to our Ukrainian partners,” Khristenko said.The sales to Ukraine itself are set at 51 billion cubic meters and will comprise gas produced in Russia and Central Asian gas transiting Russia.

“One question remains unsolved to date, namely the Ukrainian president’s initiative to seek transparency for relations between Moscow and Kyiv in the gas sector,” Khristenko said.

Also, “difficult negotiations on market charges for the transit of Russian gas for 2006 are in progress, negotiations that have not as yet been resolved,” Khristenko said.

Russian gas monopoly Gazprom proposes giving up barter and using European-standard transit and sales contracts that would include guarantees on the part of both vendor and customer.

“To date, actual formats for such agreements have been drafted and put before our Ukrainian counterparts,” Khristenko said.