Naftogaz

After Russia's state gas company Gazprom on March 1 said it was terminating existing gas contracts with Ukraine, the dispute has again raised concerns about Serbia's energy dependence on the Kremlin.

Ukraine's new Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said his country will neither hold negotiations nor purchase fuels from Russia.

"We can build relations with any neighbor if they are not aggressors or murderers. If they are... what could we talk about?" UNIAN news agency quotes him as telling TV station 24.

Ukraine has more than trebled the price of transiting Russian natural gas to Europe via its territory since the start of 2016, according to Ukrainian media outlet energy.apostrophe.com.ua.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has said Kyiv can buy gas from the European Union at a cheaper rate than Russia has offered, adding that the average price of gas from the EU stands at about $200, as reported by Sputnik on Jan. 10. 

Bulgaria said on Wednesday that supplies of Russian natural gas to the country and the volumes for transit to its neighbours are flowing normally - several hours after Russia said it has stopped supplying gas to Ukraine.

Bulgaria, which is almost entirely dependent on Russia for its gas imports, receives them via a transit pipeline crossing Ukraine and Romania.

Russian state giant Gazprom on Nov. 25 said it had halted gas deliveries to Ukraine after Kyiv failed to make upfront payments for more supplies.

Gazprom chief Alexei Miller said that as of 07.00 GMT Ukraine's Naftogaz had used up all the gas it had paid for and "no new upfront payment has been made."

Three-way talks involving the EU, Russia and Ukraine have ended with an agreement on the terms of gas supplies between October this year and March 2016, the EU Commission has said.

Gazprom halted gas deliveries to Ukraine on Wednesday and said it won't resume supplies until Kiev makes a pre-payment.

Ukraine announced on June 30 the immediate suspension of all Russian gas purchases after EU-mediated negotiations aimed at keeping supplies running for at least three more months broke down.

Ukraine's state-owned utility Naftogaz has said it will stop purchasing gas from Russian energy giant Gazprom as of July 1, until a pricing dispute has been settled.

Kiev maintains the price of USD 247 per 1000 cubic meters currently proposed by the Russian concern is not acceptable, and that the rate should be slightly above USD 200.