Gazprom confirms receiving September payment from Naftogaz
7 October 2009
Gazprom said this morning that it received payment for September deliveries of natural gas from Naftogaz of Ukraine in full and on time, according to local news reports. A Naftogaz official, cited by Interfax, said that Naftogaz imported roughly 2 bln m3 of gas in September and was to pay USD 400 mln. In other news, Bogdan Sokolovsky, an energy advisor to President Yushchenko, said yesterday negotiations with international financial organizations including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank and the World Bank on loans to Naftogaz were frozen because the Ukrainian government failed to implement promised gas reforms as of October 2. Sokolovsky said he did not see prospects for restarting talks. In late August, the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund said international lenders were prepared to provide up to USD 1.7 bln in loans for Ukraine’s gas sector. The European Commission said at the time that Ukraine promised to make changes in the way it runs the gas business to provide stability in gas relations.
