The court must assess the validity of additional claims against Naftogaz Ukrainy, announced by Russia's Gazprom on March 15, Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Volodymyr Demchyshyn has said on Thursday after a government meeting in Kyiv.

"The court should estimate this. They have claims: they consider we had to buy certain volumes under the principle 'take or pay'," he said.

At the same time, Demchyshyn noted that the claims on this point are meaningless because Russia refused this norm in the protocols signed with Ukraine.

"This is my personal position," the minister added.