Ukraine has paid off its debts to Russia for its gas imports, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said on Monday at a meeting with her Russian counterpart Viktor Zubkov.
A row over Ukraine's gas debts caused Russia's export monopoly Gazprom to briefly cut supplies in early March, threatening deliveries to European Union states.
"We have sent the last payment, which completely settles the accumulated debt for natural gas. Right now, one can say that Ukraine has completely accounted for its obligations," Tymoshenko said at a meeting with Zubkov.
Zubkov said settling the debts opened the door for talks on a longer-term supply contracts, but did not give any details. Neither prime ministers said how much the debt amounted to.
The EU gets almost of a quarter of its gas needs from Russia via Ukraine and watches closely any disputes between the two countries.
Ukrainian state energy firm Naftogaz and Gazprom signed a 2008 supply contract earlier this month, setting the price at $179.5 per 1,000 cubic metres for volumes of 50 billion cubic metres over the course of the year.
Source: Reuters
