Putin Says Ukraine Could Get 25 Percent Cheaper Gas

PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th December, 2019) Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that Ukraine could get 25 percent cheaper gas if it can reach an agreement with Russia.

"You will have it [gas]. But it could be a lot cheaper, if we agree on joint frank work," Putin said, adding that the gas "could be cheaper by 25 percent, as compared to what the end consumer currently gets, primarily the industrial consumer, because the price of gas for the domestic consumer, for citizens [of Ukraine], is subsidized, we can't calculate the price from the subsidized price," Putin explained, speaking at a joint press conference in Paris, following the Normandy Four summit.

Late on Monday, Ukraine's Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev said that Ukraine was ready to sign a new transit contract with Russia's Gazprom.

In November, Gazprom sent Ukraine's Naftogaz an official proposal to extend the transit contract, which expires on December 31, or enter into a new one for one year, taking into account the projected demand in the EU. The Russian gas giant said that the prerequisite for continued transit was that both sides must give up their lawsuits and claims to antitrust authorities against one another. At the same time, Gazprom said it was waiting for Ukraine's position regarding its readiness to directly purchase Russian gas starting in 2020.