Putin: Gazprom offers Ukraine same gas contract terms as to Yanukovych

Gazprom has offered Ukraine the same gas contract terms as to Yanukovych, including the discount conditions, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said on Wednesday.

According to Putin, Kiev's demands for lower gas price in exchange for consent to pay deliberately stalemates the situation.“Gazprom has offered the Ukrainian partners the same terms that the government of Viktor Yanukovych had: a discount for the contract price amounting to $100, and the final price of $385 per a thousand cubic meters,” Putin stated at a consultation meeting with the members of the government.

Putin has also instructed the government to develop an option of freezing the terms of gas supplies to Ukraine for a certain period.

“I would like to ask the government and the head of the cabinet to think on how it could be possible at the level of the government of the Russian Federation or upon agreement with the government of Ukraine freeze these terms and make them absolutely guaranteed and free from changes for a certain period,” Putin told the ministers.

 Ukraine still insisting on contract change

Ukraine has rejected Russia’s discount of $100 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas, Ukrainian parliament-appointed Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has said earlier.

“We want the contract be changed,” Yatsenyuk said on Wednesday.

He added that he spoke to Ukrainian parliament-appointed Energy and Coal Minister Yuriy Prodan, who is currently in Brussels.

“Russia has shifted the prepayment term once again, as the supplies’ cut off. Russia proposed to reduce the gas price. Still, our stance was and now consists in changing the contract, and not agreeing to a decision made by the Russian government regarding the change of gas price,” Yatsenyuk said adding that the Russian government could increase the price later.

“We are holding short: we change the contract and set a market price. We have paid the market price of $286. We are ready to pay all debts according to this price, and other proposals are unacceptable,” the Ukrainian prime minister said.

“Once again I urge Russia to sign the agreement to avoid court proceedings,” he added.

Earlier, Russia has postponed the introduction of prepayment mode for gas supplies to Ukraine until 10:00 Moscow time (06:00 GMT) June 16.