Gazprom Charges Ukraine $11.4b Before EU Gas Talks
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OAO Gazprom, Russia’s state gas exporter, presented Ukraine with an additional $11.4 billion bill for fuel it promised to buy last year, increasing pressure on the government in Kiev as the prospect of supply cuts looms.
Gazprom sent the document to NAK Naftogaz Ukrainy yesterday, Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said today by phone in Moscow. According to the terms of a 2009 contract, Ukraine owes a total of $18.4 billion under take-or-pay clauses, where customers must pay for gas whether they use it or not, President Vladimir Putin said earlier this month.