Support The Moscow Times!

Ukraine Seeks $4Bln From Europe to Buy Russian Gas

Tymoshenko speaking a news conference Tuesday in Luxembourg. Yves Logghe
LUXEMBOURG -- Ukraine needs $4 billion in credits to buy Russian gas for its underground storage areas and hopes to raise the funds through European banks, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Tuesday.

"We are talking about $4 billion," Tymoshenko told a news conference after meeting European Union officials in Luxembourg.

"We are today working on the idea of borrowing these credit resources in European banks, and the European side is favoring this as well as the Russian side."

She said she believed that Naftogaz "is going to be able to have the credit resources necessary in order to do this operation."

Tymoshenko and President Viktor Yushchenko have been at odds on how to finance state energy company Naftogaz, one of a long list of issues pitting the two former allies from the pro-Western "Orange Revolution" against each other.

Yushchenko accuses Tymoshenko's government of pursuing policies that will bankrupt Naftogaz, including the use of credits to purchase imports of Russian gas. He said company credits to be repaid totaled 74 billion hryvnas ($9.7 billion) compared to 56 billion hryvnas at the start of the year.

Tymoshenko says she is making every effort to make Naftogaz a viable company and has promised prompt payment for supplies to prevent any repetition of January's standoff with Gazprom.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more