Ukraine will take action to ensure that state energy firm Naftogaz pays for gas supplies from Russia on time, Energy Minister Yuri Prodan was quoted as saying on Tuesday, Reuters reported. Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom said on Monday it thought Ukraine would have a tough time paying for gas supplied in May. [ID:nLP394992] Rows over debt sparked a three-week stand-off in January that led to supply cuts to millions in Europe.
"We will make every effort for Naftogaz to pay for gas supplies in full and on time as it has done," Interfax Ukraine news agency quoted Prodan as saying in Libya, where he was accompanying Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on a visit.
Tymoshenko and her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were unable to agree last week how Ukraine will pay for billions of dollars worth of gas needed to be stored for the winter months to ensure smooth transit to Europe.
Europe receives about a fifth of its gas from Russia via Ukraine, with some eastern and southern European countries almost completely dependent on that gas.
