Russia, Ukraine could reach gas agreement on Thursday - Novak
MOSCOW. Oct 30 (Interfax) - Russia and Ukraine could reach agreement today on a resumption of gas deliveries, given the signing of the documents that the sides discussed late last night, Energy Minister Alexander Novak told Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at a government meeting.
The documents concerned include two protocols - between Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission and between the European Commission and Ukraine - and a technical supplement to the contract between Gazprom and Ukraine's national oil and gas company Naftogaz Ukrainy.
If the documents are ready for signing, as was agreed by the parties, they could be signed today, Novak said.
The minister added that technical issues connected with the volume of supplies, the mechanism for carrying out deliveries and the execution procedures in the supplementary agreement on the contract between the companies will be discussed.
Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller has said previously that financial guarantees from the EC for Ukraine's gas payments would be included in the two-party protocol between Ukraine and the EC.
"Agreements have been reached on the price, on the mechanism for restructuring debt and on advanced payment, and if our partners desire certain volumes of gas can be received in November-December," Novak said.
Miller said previously that the parties could only sign these documents if Ukraine and the UC reach an agreement on a two-sided protocol in which the EC will provide financial guarantees to Ukraine.
"If such an agreement doesn't occur, then accordingly, there will not be any meetings or talks and no documents will be signed," Miller said.
