Russia 's state-controlled gas monopoly Gazprom said Tuesday it agreed to settle Ukraine's debt for gas supplies, seeming to resolve a dispute that has raised concerns of a supply cut to Europe and added to the political uncertainty in Ukraine.
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OAO Gazprom said earlier this month that Ukraine owed $1.3 billion (920 million euros), but Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov said Tuesday that Ukraine's debt had climbed to more than $2 billion (1.4 billion euros).
Ukraine would repay $1.2 billion (850 million euros) of the debt by transferring gas from underground storage facilities in Ukraine to Gazprom for further export, Zubkov said during a televised meeting with Ukraine's Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych in Moscow.
The remaining $929 million (659 million euros) is to be paid by the companies that supply gas on the Ukrainian market, he said.
To find out more about the present-day relations between Russia and Ukraine Pravda.Ru has interviewed an expert in the Ukrainian policy Margarita M. Balmaceda, School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University, and Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University.
Pravda.Ru: Russian gas monopoly Gazprom threatened Ukraine to cut gas supplies because of debs. Ukraine’s orange bloc said that Moscow tries to put pressure on Ukraine willing Yanukovychto become Prime minister. Do you think that Russia uses gas as a tool to influence Ukraine’s policy?
Margarita Balmaceda :Yes, I believe the Russian government uses gas as a tool to influence both Ukrainian domestic politics, and Ukraine’s international policy. The recent crisis involving “Ukraine’s $1.3 billion debt to Gazprom” is a good example of this. Although the Russian side knew for months already that the debt was accumulating and would reach a critical point in late September, the issue was not “made” into a crisis until it was politically expedient to do so.
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