PM: Traps that Russia wants to offer Ukraine under the guise of discounts are unacceptable

The position of the Government of Ukraine on the issue of Russian gas is the same: Amendments to the contract and a market price for gas, stressed PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk at a Government meeting on Wednesday, 11 June.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that he had a conversation with Minister of Fuel and Energy Yuriy Prodan and the leadership of NJSC Naftogaz, who are now in Brussels.

"Russia has just announced that it postpones for the third time advance payment for Russian natural gas and has actually delayed the cutoff [gas for Ukraine - Ed.]", the PM informed.

The Prime Minister has underlined that the Russian side offered Ukraine $100 gas price reduction, "with the so-called discount", "I want to declare that we know these Russian traps: the discount is set by the decision of the government of the Russian Federation and cancelled by the decision of the Russian government".

"Our proposal remains the same -changes to the contract. If gas is a political weapon, then it is a political weapon in the hands of the Russian Government. If gas, like worldwide, is a commodity, then we are trading on the basis of the contract, not on the basis of whether Russia likes the Ukrainian Government or not. We have far more questions to the Russian Government, to say the least", the PM noted.