Gazprom promises Europe minimum exports

Russia has explained its attitude, which it will maintain in the new round of negotiations on gas and the Ukrainian problem with the EU. Gazprom is ready to resort to a decrease in the production and the loss of a part of the proceeds in order to keep European consumers on "cold soldering" at least until the winter, thereby preventing them from supplying gas to the Ukraine by reverse supplies. At the same time, Gazprom prepares an alternative to the EU as a sales market, negotiating with China for the supply of up to 100 billion cubic meters per year by the "western route".

During the yesterday's meeting with Vladimir Putin, Gazprom’s head Alexei Miller reported that the company intended to keep the export to the EU at the minimum contract levels at least during the next month and a half. According to him, Gazprom will be able to meet the additional demand only after the pumping of gas into underground storage facilities in Russia. As the Kommersant noted, Gazprom reduced the gas supplies to Slovakia, which provided most of the reverse supplies to the Ukraine, and in recent days Bratislava had to balance its gas transportation system with gas from the Czech Republic. At the same time, and Slovakia itself, and consumers in Poland, Austria and Italy complain of the incomplete performance of their applications by Gazprom.