Oettinger Meets Gazprom’s Miller to Confirm Economic Ties

Gazprom’s Alexey Miller met European Commissioner Guenther Oettinger on Tuesday. According to a note released by the top gas extractor in the world, the two sides agreed on most of the points raised during the meeting.

‘The parties expressed their expectations that Naftogaz of Ukraine would proceed to fully meet its obligations to ensure the uninterrupted Russian gas transit to Europe. Special focus was laid on Naftogaz of Ukraine's debt to Gazprom for the supplied gas, which exceeded USD 2.2 billion,’ reads a communiqué.

The top gas producer in the world clearly renewed its interest for the European market. 

‘It was pointed out that Gazprom was a reliable supplier of natural gas to the European market and would retain this position in the future,’ wrote the company led by Miller.

In this context, the main knot to unpick remains Ukraine’s debt to Gazprom. The final deadline for Ukraine to settle the outstanding balance came and went on Tuesday. It seems clear that no money changed hands in the last hours.