MOSCOW, July 24. /TASS/: Gazprom did not offer Ukraine to buy Russian gas, the gas holding announced on Saturday following a statement by Yuriy Vitrenko, CEO of Naftogaz of Ukraine.
The Russian gas giant also said that the comments of its CEO Alexei Miller, on the volume of transit through Ukraine after 2024 related to purchases from the EU under new contracts.
"We have familiarized ourselves with the statement of Yuriy Vitrenko, Chairman of the Management Board of Naftogaz of Ukraine. Please note that no one offered Ukraine to buy Russian gas. The comment of Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Management Board of Gazprom, was addressed to our partners from the EU countries, primarily Germany," the gas holding’s information department said in a commentary.
The gas holding clarifies that "it concerns the volumes of transit through Ukraine after 2024 in accordance with the new volumes of purchases of Russian gas by companies from the EU countries under new contracts."
"In this regard, we are also concerned about the decarbonization of the European Union's economy," the company says.
On Thursday, Miller told reporters that he admits the possibility of increasing the volume of gas transit through Ukraine above current obligations after the expiration of the contract for gas pumping in 2024. However, this issue should be resolved on market conditions and at market prices, Miller told reporters. He stressed that the participation of the German partners in the negotiation process is fully justified, given the outlined EU plans to decarbonize the economy.
Earlier on Saturday, Vitrenko, commenting on Miller's words, said that Gazprom's proposals to preserve transit through Ukraine in exchange for unfavorable purchases of Russian gas for the country are unacceptable.
The press service of Naftogaz reported that booking the capacities of the Ukrainian gas transmission system by European companies would be the best guarantee of maintaining transit of the country. For this purpose, it is necessary to relocate points of transmission of Russian gas to European buyers to the eastern border of Ukraine. At the same time Russia should unblock gas transit from Central Asian countries, as well as to allow private companies producing gas in Russia to export their gas.
