Gazprom Pushes Back Ukraine Gas Ultimatum

A worker turns a valve at an underground gas storage facility near Stryi, Ukraine.

Russian energy giant Gazprom has delayed the introduction of advance payment for gas supplies to Ukraine to June 9 after receiving partial payment from Kyiv.

Gazprom CEO Aleksei Miller made the announcement on June 2 following confirmation by Russia's Energy Ministry that it had received a $786 million payment for part of its estimated $5.2 billion gas debt to Moscow.

"We welcome Ukraine starting to pay back its debt and postpone the prepayment regime until June 9," Miller said in a statement.

The payment is intended to keep alive a new round of negotiations on settling Ukraine's debt, expected to take place on June 2 in Brussels.

European Union Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger has said he hopes some sort of breakthrough can be reached.
Based on reporting by AFP and AP