Naftogaz and Gazprom signed an agreement to withdraw all current claims and complaints from both sides. The executive director of Naftogaz Yuri Vitrenko stated this on his Facebook page.
"When I signed the settlement agreement, providing for the withdrawal of all current claims and complaints from both sides, I was sad because of the work and knowledge that I and my team put into them," wrote Vitrenko.
He stated that such a decision was made due to responsibility regarding the citizens of Ukraine, the interests of the national company. Saying the interests of Ukrainians, Vitrenko means the extension of the gas contract and profit from this.
“Gas supplies mean tens of thousands of jobs. These are lower gas tariffs for Ukrainian consumers. These are economic growth. These are state budget revenues. These are geopolitics and security. Therefore, we needed an extension of transit, with guarantees,” the director of Naftogaz said.
At the same time, Vitrenko noted that Ukraine, in case of failure to prolong the contract, could win 12,2 billion by arbitration.
Ukraine, Russia and the European Union signed a new gas contract for 5 years with the possibility of extension for 10 years. A minimum gas flow of 65 billion cubic meters in the first year is guaranteed, as well as 40 billion over the next 4 years.