"The current daily supplies volume requested by Ukraine is 10 million cubic meters," Novak said.
"Our Ukrainian colleagues confirmed that they are ready to pay for as much gas as it is necessary to meet the consumption demand in Ukraine depending on temperature regime," the minister said.
"Therefore, Gazprom will deliver only the volumes that have been pre-paid by the Ukrainian side," Novak stressed.
On February 26, Gazprom spokesman Sergey Kupriyanov said that should Naftogaz fail to prepay for March deliveries by the end of the week, Gazprom would cut off gas supplies. Kupriyanov added that Kiev's standing balance was only sufficient for a few days of gas supplies.
Russia, Ukraine to Continue Talks in March on Gas Supplies During Summer
Moscow and Kiev will continue talks in late March on natural gas supplies during summer period, Russia’s Energy Minister said.
Deliveries of Russian gas to Ukraine were suspended last June over Ukraine's debt that exceeded $5 billion at the time. Russian energy giant Gazprom resumed gas deliveries in December under a "winter package."
The "winter package" deal was signed last year in Brussels, and expires on April 1, 2015. Under the agreement, Ukraine must pay Russia in advance for all future gas supplies.
Gas Supplies to Donbas to Be Subject of Separate Talks Between Gazprom, Naftogaz
Deliveries of Russian natural gas to self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics in eastern Ukraine will be taken outside the existing 'winter package' and will become subject of separate talks between Russia's Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz, Alexander Novak stated.
Novak and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Demchyshyn met on Monday with EU energy chief Maros Sefcovic in Brussels for a new round of consultations on Russian gas supplies to Ukraine.
"They will not be taken into account in calculation of pre-payments for volumes supplied under the winter package…and will be subject of separate talks," Novak said.
Last month, Kiev suspended gas supplies into the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, prompting Russia's energy giant Gazprom to supplant deliveries into Donbas. Hours later, Naftogaz head Andriy Kobolev announced the resumption of gas deliveries into Donbas, although the region's two breakaway republics' leadership disputed that claim.
Russian gas deliveries into Ukraine are currently carried out under the EU-mediated "winter package" deal, requiring advance payments from Naftogaz at discounts of $100 per 1,000 cubic meters. The deal expires on April 1, 2015.
