Treaty On Russian Gas Transit Through Ukraine To Be Signed Very Soon

The treaty on transit of Russian gas through the territory of Ukraine should be signed very soon, Alexei Miller, head of the Russian company Gazprom, said. According to him, the talks with the Ukrainian side on settling the issues of Russian gas transit through Ukraine are currently underway. According to data provided by RIA Novosti, in 2002 the volume of transit should be equal to 124.5 billion cubic metres. The sides have not yet agreed on the price of transit. The Russian side proposes to increase the value of gas supplied to Ukraine from USD 50 to USD 80 per 1,000 cu.m. and the value of transit from current USD 1.09 to USD 1.75. The Russian side also offers Ukraine to pay for Russian gas deliveries with money. Currently, Russian gas is delivered to Ukraine on account of payment for its transit on the Ukrainian territory.