REUTERS
Russian gas producer Gazprom said on Friday it had asked Ukraine's Naftogaz to provide a guarantee on the volumes of gas it intended to purchase from Gazprom until the end of March, according to Reuters.
Gazprom added in a statement after the two sides had met in Berlin that Naftogaz intended to ask for a gas price discount for the first quarter of next year, Reuters reports.
"Given the tough financial position of Naftogaz Ukraine, one should not expect pre-payment and resumption of Russian gas supplies before the end of the year," the statement cited Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller as saying.
Read alsoNaftogaz increases amount of claims against GazpromAs UNIAN reported earlier, before the end of 2015 "Gazprom" has set the price for Naftogaz of Ukraine at $227 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas.
In 2016, Ukraine plans to purchase Russian gas, if necessary, at the price of about $207-208 per 1,000 cubic meters. The price of gas from Europe in 2016 is expected to reach $175-180.
In late November, Naftogaz has suspended imports of Russian gas, and in early December it sharply reduced its purchases in the EU.