Gazprom is preparing documents on gas supplies to Ukraine and gas
transit to Europe for signing on Monday, the Russian energy giant said
on Sunday, RIA Novosti reported.
"We are working to ensure that the documents are signed on Monday," Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said.
The ceremony of signing the gas deal is expected to be attended by
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart
Yulia Tymoshenko.
The Russian and Ukrainian premiers announced early on Sunday after
intense talks in Moscow that they had reached a deal making it possible
to restart gas supplies to Europe. The premiers instructed Gazprom and
Naftogaz to prepare and sign a formal agreement.
Putin said after the talks that Ukraine will pay the European price for
Russian natural gas with a 20% discount this year while Kiev will not
increase the current transit fees it receives for Russian gas.
From 2010, Ukraine will pay the full market price for Russian natural
gas while Russia will pay European market pries for transit, Putin
said.
Ukraine paid $179.5 per 1,000 cubic meters for Russian natural gas in
2008, which is less than half the price paid by European consumers. The
European price for natural gas in the first quarter of this year stands
at about $450 per 1,000 cu m but is expected to fall significantly
later this year to reflect the decrease in world oil prices.
Tymoshenko said that the talks were uneasy. "But we had come to mutual
understanding, which makes it possible to sign all contract documents."
"As soon as the documents are signed, all natural gas deliveries will be restored," Tymoshenko said.
Russia suspended supplies to Ukraine on January 1 after the former
Soviet neighbors failed to agree on debt and prices for 2009. A week
later, Gazprom cut off gas supplies to the European Union, saying
Ukraine was stealing gas intended for EU consumers.
Following mediation by the EU, the two sides agreed to resume supplies,
but deliveries had not restarted, with each side blaming the other over
the impasse.
