Negotiations continue over the more than $2 billion that Ukraine's national oil and gas company Naftogaz Ukrainy owes Russian gas giant Gazprom, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller told the press.

"At this point, the debt owed by Naftogaz Ukrainy for gas delivered in August, October, and November is $2.02 billion. We are looking for ways to resolve this problem. We are negotiating, but no agreement has been reached so far," Miller said.

Naftogaz CEO Yevhen Bakulin said on December 3 that his company and Gazprom had agreed that that payment for gas supplied to Ukrainian consumers in October-December would be deferred until next spring. Bakulin said Ukraine needed the deferral so that problematic issues in the regions were not made more difficult by paying for gas. Ukraine intends to pay the $765 million that it owes for August gas soon.