Russia Views Naftogaz' Position On New $12Bln Transit Lawsuit As Absurd - Novak

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Russia Views Naftogaz' Position on New $12Bln Transit Lawsuit as Absurd - Novak

Russia does not recognize the position of the Ukrainian Naftogaz energy giant on the new $12 billion lawsuit against Gazprom, finding it absurd, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Monday

BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2019) Russia does not recognize the position of the Ukrainian Naftogaz energy giant on the new $12 billion lawsuit against Gazprom, finding it absurd, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Monday.

"That is a somehow absurd position of our Ukrainian partners because this is a new lawsuit that we do not perceive as this is a suit that covers the volumes, which allegedly will not be transported in the future in case of our failure to sign a new contract.

That cannot be considered in principle," Novak told reporters answering the question, whether participants of the trilateral gas transit consultations between Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission had discussed the initiative by Naftogaz to decrease demanded compensation under the new lawsuit against Gazprom from $12 billion to $2billion in case of signing the new contract on transit of Russian gas via Ukraine.

The current Russian-Ukrainian gas contract expires on December 31, 2019.