A new contract for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine is possible only in the event of a mutual rejection of claims between Gazprom and Naftogaz, the Russian company said.

As the head of Gazprom Alexei Miller noted, this issue is the first in the list of important tasks that must be addressed before concluding a transit contract.

“This means a mutual rejection of claims and the termination of litigation between PJSC Gazprom and Naftogaz of Ukraine on contracts for the supply and transit of Russian gas, restoring the balance of commercial interests of the parties,” the press service of the Russian company said.

This and other issues during a meeting in St. Petersburg were discussed by the head of Gazprom Alexei Miller and the German government representative for gas transit through Ukraine, Georg count von Waldersee. The details of this conversation were published by the Gazprom press service.

The company also reminded of the need to cancel the decision of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine on imposing a fine on a Russian company “for allegedly abusing the monopoly position in the gas transit market of Ukraine and restoring violated property rights of the company in the country”. We are talking about a recovery, the size of which is almost $ 7 billion.

$ 22 billion claims

Recall that on the eve of Naftogaz estimated the total amount of financial claims against Gazprom at $ 22 billion. The corresponding amount on Facebook was brought by the head of the Ukrainian company Andrey Kobolev.

“The Russian side offers Naftogaz to“ nullify ”almost $ 3 billion by the Stockholm decision and abandon the lawsuit for another $ 12 billion. In addition, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine. ( RT ) is invited to waive a fine of about $ 7 billion. Total - $ 22 billion - "understand and forgive". I seek and do not find in the proposals voiced in the media the counter steps of Russia for comparable amounts. What does “zeroing” of mutual claims look like? ”He wrote.

Kobolev speaks of an arbitral award of 2018. Recall, then the Stockholm court awarded the Ukrainian side $ 4.7 billion in a lawsuit for gas shortages for transit. However, the court recognized Naftogaz’s debt of $ 2 billion and obliged the Russian side to pay only $ 2.56 billion. Gazprom continues to challenge this decision.

In addition, Kobolev mentioned a fine of $ 7 billion. The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine fined the Russian company in 2015 for this amount. However, Gazprom objected, noting that they were not conducting entrepreneurial activities in Ukraine, transferring gas directly to Naftogaz on the western border.

In addition to this, he indicated in the amount of general claims a new lawsuit worth about $ 12 billion, which became known on November 2.

“Absurd suit”

The current contract for the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine expires at the end of 2019, and a new agreement has not yet been concluded. The parties continue to discuss the parameters of a possible agreement during tripartite meetings, in which, in addition to Moscow and Kiev, the European Union is also represented.

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A few days after the next such conversation, which took place on October 28, Naftogaz stated that it had sent a statement of claim to Gazprom in the amount of $ 12 billion to Stockholm Arbitration. Kiev demanded a review of the transit tariff, compensation in the amount of $ 11.8 billion for refusal Russian state corporations do this in March 2018 and another $ 448 million for other violations.

In turn, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak on November 6 called these demands absurd.

“The second absurd lawsuit filed by Ukraine - in the amount of $ 12 billion ... it has not even been considered, so to say that someone owes someone is premature. Those claims that are filed in the lawsuit are absurd, ”Novak quotes RIA Novosti.

It should be noted that the Russian side at various levels pointed to the need to abandon mutual claims in order to advance on the issue of gas transit from Russia through Ukraine. In particular, at the end of October, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about this. Separately, he mentioned an antitrust lawsuit against Gazprom for $ 7 billion.

"When, for example, they try to present $ 7 billion through Ukrainian courts to Gazprom for payment because it occupies a monopoly place in the transit market ... Although Gazprom does not transit anything, Ukrainian companies transit," Putin told a press Conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

He called "to get rid of this absurdity, to nullify all the demands on both sides."