Russia to reduce gas discount for the Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that with the current fallen oil prices Russia can’t give the Ukraine a large gas discount any more. The discount should be recalculated so the neighboring country to pay "blue fuel" about as much as other Eastern European countries - for example, Poland.

Putin said this at the meeting with members of the Government on Wednesday. "..with such a serious fall in the oil prices, on the basis of which the price of gas is calculated <..>, we can’t provide such a discount, in the previous amount," - he said. The Head of state added that the final price for Ukrainians shouldn’t exceed the bar of neighboring countries, "such as Poland". The Government was instructed to calculate the new discount for the Ukraine and to take a decision on this issue.

Since the end of March this year, a quarterly discount on Russian gas for the Ukraine is determined as follows: at the price of 1 thousand cubic meters of $333.3 and above it is $100, and at the less price - 30% of the contract price. Russia offers the discount at the request of Kiev, but there wasn’t the request on the prices for the third quarter from the Ukrainian side, the Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak reported at the same meeting.