A joint venture of Russian energy giant Gazprom and Ukrainian state
oil and gas company Naftogaz will enable Ukrainians to buy Russian gas
at the price of about $60 per 1,000 cu m, Gazprom CEO said.
Gas prices for Ukrainian consumers now vary from 725.4 hryvnas
($91.9) per 1,000 cu m to 2,954.1 hryvnas ($374.5) per 1,000 cu m.
"Gazprom's point of view is that we could set up a joint venture of
Gazprom and Naftogaz of Ukraine... In this case, the Ukrainian
population could buy gas at the price for Russian consumers. Gas prices
in Russia are fixed by the state and now stand at 1,880 rubles per 1,000
cu m. It is slightly more than $60 per 1,000 cu m," Alexei Miller told
the Vesti TV channel, RIA Novosti reported.
The Ukrainian government had to introduce a 50% increase in gas
prices for individuals and heating enterprises from August 1, and plans a
further 50% increase from August 1, 2011. The price hike was one of the
conditions under which the country could receive a $15.15-billion loan
from the International Monetary Fund.
While Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said the companies should push for a
joint venture, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin proposed a merger,
something that the Ukrainian opposition fears would put the country's
sovereignty at risk.
A Ukrainian delegation headed by Ukrainian energy minister Yury
Boiko, arrived in Moscow on Friday for talks with Gazprom management on
gas issues.
"We are now conducting an intensive dialog to boost our cooperation,
and various options are being considered. The key requirement is to find
a solution to benefit the two companies and consumers of the two
states," Boiko said.
In April, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Ukrainian
counterpart Viktor Yanukovych agreed during their meeting in Kharkov in
east Ukraine that Russia would grant Ukraine a 30% discount on the gas
price of $330 per 1,000 cu m over the next ten years.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said earlier in the week that
Ukraine is seeking to revamp the current gas contract it has with Russia
as it is "enslaving" and could possibly lead the country into an
economic collapse.
