Miller hints at no Ukraine-Russia gas deal in 2011

Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said yesterday Gazprom and Naftogaz (NAFTO) would not sign a gas deal by end-2011. Separately, the Ukrainian government appointed members of the team to negotiate terms of a new gas deal with Russia. Vitaliy Vavryshchuk: A new gas deal is supposed to be an intergovernmental treaty meaning that Gazprom and Naftogaz will step into the play only after a decision is made at a higher political level. All comments from Russian and Ukrainian officials point to  ongoing gas talks and we think it’s a matter of a few weeks before we get full clarity on the issue.