REUTERS
Naftogaz's Chief Commercial Officer says only the application of European rules will create a real balance in relations between Ukraine's Naftogaz and Russia's Gazprom.
Naftogaz CCO Yuriy Vitrenko says Russian Gazprom's position in the ongoing gas dispute with Ukraine is pure "neocolonialism."
"We will insist on the application of European rules that are a fair balance in the relations. We will also continue to forcibly collect what is now $2.62 billion, as decided by the previous arbitration award. And we are starting a new arbitration process demanding compensation for [Gazprom's] understating of the tariff in 2018-2019 by $11.6 billion. We are restoring the real balance in relations with Gazprom!" Vitrenko wrote on Facebook.
"Balance" in Russia and Gazprom's understanding, Vitrenko believes, is unreasonable losses for Ukraine in favor of Russia.
"This is neocolonialism," which Ukraine does not need, Vitrenko said.
"Ukraine has already proved that it can successfully fight off such a colonial policy of Russia and that it can win. And we will not be going back, 'restoring the balance'," said the Naftogaz CCO.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Euroopean Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic ahead of the tripartite gas talks, said that a new deal on gas transit via Ukraine, which could be signed after 2019, must comply with the European legislation. The existing gas transit contract between Ukraine and Gazprom was signed in 2009 for a period of 10 years.
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After its completion (from 2020), the Russian gas monopoly intends to minimize gas transit volumes via Ukraine.
At the end of February 2018, the Russian energy monopoly, Gazprom, lost a lawsuit filed by Naftogaz with Stockholm arbitration on a gas transit contract. Gazprom was obliged to pay $4.6 billion to the Ukrainian side.
Also, the Russian company must supply to Ukraine in 2018-2019 a total of 10 billion cubic meters of gas at prices equal to those on gas hubs in Germany.
Against the backdrop of their loss, Gazprom announced their intention to terminate via court its contracts with Ukraine for the supply and transit of gas, calling the arbitration awards "unbalanced"
Late in March, Gazprom officially notified Naftogaz of their refusal to comply with the arbitration award.
Gazprom initiated a new case at the Stockholm Arbitration against Naftogaz in order to terminate the existing contracts.