Russia sees EC desire to help Ukraine financially to buy gas
MOSCOW. March 21 (Interfax) - Russia is seeing substantial progress in the desire of the European Commission (EC) to provide Ukraine with financial aid for buying Russian natural gas, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said in an interview with the Russia-24 television.
"Last year, when we were holding talks, the EC did not assume such obligations. Today there is an understanding that the EC is keen on such financial resources to be found," the minister said.
After the talks between Russia, Ukraine and EC in Brussels last Friday, the EC assumed the obligation to consider a possibility of providing Ukraine with financial aid for buying the necessary quantity of natural gas to be pumped into its underground storage facilities, the minister recalled.
He would not say which sums they could be talking about. "Right now it is difficult to estimate which sums are in question, what matters is the principle that if Ukraine is short of funds, the EC will do its utmost to help Ukraine to ensure these resources. This is important because pumping 12 billion of cubic meters of gas during the summer period is a diversion of current assets," Novak said.