MOSCOW, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- There are signs that Ukraine might not be able to meet its financial obligations from Russian natural gas, Gazprom Chief Executive Alexei Miller said Tuesday.
"The signal that we are in effect getting from our Ukrainian colleagues is that the situation with payment for gas from Ukraine is going to get worse," Miller was quoted by the state-backed Russian news agency RIA Novosti as saying.
Miller said Ukraine hasn't yet paid its August natural gas bill of $882 million. Gazprom cut natural gas supplies to Ukraine most recently in 2009 because of payment concerns.
The Ukrainian government said it pays some of the highest prices for natural gas among Gazprom's customers in Europe.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said there were issues with Gazprom but nothing extraordinary.
"There are problems, but they are not critical," he said. "The government has this issue under control."
European countries get about 20 percent of their natural gas from Russia and the majority of that is delivered through Soviet-era pipelines in Ukraine.
Read More
- Russia's Novatek starts gas production in Yamalo-Nenets
- Putin lauds start of natural gas extraction from Sea of Okhotsk
- Russian gas company Gazprom says it's ready for winter
- Gazprom committed to South Stream
- Rosneft, Exxon hand out Far East LNG contracts
- Gazprom says it's a logical partner for Asia
- JKX Oil & Gas says it's encouraged by gas prospects in Ukraine
- Ukraine's deputy prime minister says no gas problems for winter
- Ukraine signs off on shale gas deal with Chevron
- Ukrainian gas sector escaping Russia's grasp
- Fracking success declared in Ukraine
