Ukraine has again rejected an application from Gazprom for the
transit of 99.2 million cubic meters of Russian gas through its
territory to Europe, a spokesman for the Ukrainian energy company
Naftogaz said on Friday, RIA Novosti informed.
The Russian energy giant received a third refusal from Naftogaz to
transit a similar amount of Russian gas on to Europe on Thursday. The
Ukrainian company cited the absence of a "technical" gas transfer
agreement for 2009.
"A similar application to the one supplied yesterday has been received
[from Gazprom]," said Valentin Zemlyansky, adding that gas transits
were still impossible.
Naftogaz earlier asked Gazprom to supply gas through the Valuiki and
Pisarevka exit points, not through the Sudzha station, but the Russian
gas monopoly rejected the request.
Ukraine has said if it transits Russian gas through Sudzha it will
leave its Lugansk, Donetsk and Odessa regions, as well as part of the
Dnepropetrovsk Region, without gas.
Russia is hoping that the European Union will persuade Ukraine to meet
the country's gas transit obligations, the Russian foreign minister
said on Friday.
"The EU must exhibit its famous solidarity and explain to our Ukrainian
colleagues that failure to fulfill the contract on the transit of
Russian gas to Europe, which is valid until 2010, is unacceptable,"
Sergei Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev invited on Thursday his Ukrainian
counterpart Viktor Yushchenko to attend a gas summit planned for
Saturday in Moscow to try and find a solution to the gas dispute. EU
Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs and Czech Energy Minister Martin
Riman, whose country holds the EU presidency, are also expected to take
part.
