Russia seeks compromise in gas dispute with Ukraine

Moscow, Sep 26 (IANS/ITAR -TASS) Russia wants to resolve a gas pricing dispute with Ukraine and has made a number of constructive proposals to tackle the problem which have been rejected by Kiev, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said Friday.

The minister said the parties have already had eight rounds of talks on the dispute and Russia made some constructive proposals for pricing and the settlement of Ukraine's debts.

"But Ukraine rejected them all," Novak said.

Russia, Ukraine and the European Union are scheduled to hold a trilateral gas meeting in Berlin Sep 26.

Taking part in the consultations will be the European Union (EU) outgoing Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger, Novak and Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuri Prodan.

The focus will be on Russian gas supplies to Ukraine and issues of energy security, a EU spokesman in Berlin said.

The key task of the talks is to ensure uninterrupted gas supplies both to Ukraine and the EU in the coming winter.

Previous discussions, launched May 2, that involved the energy officials from the EU, Russia and Ukraine, ended June 16 with no result.

Ukraine's Naftogaz and Russian energy giant Gazprom later filed mutual claims to the Stockholm Arbitration Tribunal.

The Naftogaz oil and gas company stopped paying for the consumed Russian natural gas since March 25.

As of Aug 1, the overall debt of Naftogaz to Gazprom for supplied gas totalled about $5.296 billion (excluding debts under "take or pay" contractual obligations).