Gazprom, Naftogaz Closer to Agreement in Berlin

Berlin hosted on Wednesday a working meeting between Gazprom’s Alexey Miller and Naftogaz’ Kobolev, with the parties moving closer to an agreement. The two delegations are not expected to hold talks on Thursday.  

‘On request of the Ukrainian party, the debt settlement deadline was postponed until June 10, due to June 9 being a holiday in Ukraine,’ reads a note released on Wednesday.  

On June 2, Naftogaz paid off USD 786 million, stoking hopes of a compromise. According to Russia’s Gazprom, Ukraine’s debt for Gazprom’s supply totalled $ 4.455 billion after the payment covering the debt for the first quarter.  

As widely expected, Germany keeps having a central role in the negotiations. The country is also reaping some benefits. Capitalising on the country’s reputation, German companies signed a series of agreement with Russian firms.