Ukrainian expert: By spring we will be naked, barefoot, and Gazprom will be even stronger (VIDEO)
Kyiv, September 30 (PolitNavigator, Vladimir Raichenko) – In the Russian-Ukrainian gas issue, a positive scenario for Ukraine does not yet emerge. This is the opinion of Yuri Korolchuk, a member of the supervisory board of the Institute for Energy Research, who believes that it is wrong for the Ukrainian side to propose concluding an agreement on the supply of Russian gas for only six months.
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“Six months will not solve the problem,” the expert believes. “By spring we will come out naked, barefoot and will find ourselves in an even worse situation in front of Gazprom.” And neither the IMF nor the EU will give us loans as generously as they do now. From a rational point of view, it is better to conclude an agreement for a year so that we have guaranteed supplies of Russian gas, which we can pump into storage and come out prepared for the heating season. And so in April we will get a new problem.”
It is worth noting here that Kyiv is counting on a positive decision of the Stockholm arbitration on the price of Russian gas, and therefore does not want to enter into long-term contracts. But even here, Ukraine can expect an unpleasant surprise, the expert says.
“No one has canceled the fact that Russia will continue to demand repayment of the debt,” points out Yuri Korolchuk. – The arbitration will not end in the summer, as the European Commission expects. Moreover, the court does not set the price of gas, but can only make changes to contracts by correlating the coefficients. That is, it is not a fact that the price from the formula of 485 dollars will drop to at least 400 dollars. As a result, we can pay off the balance of the debt for less than $385 (a compromise that Gazprom is ready to make. – ed.), and priced at $420, $430 or $440. Will this be a victory?
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