The gas agreement with Russia signed by Ukraine's government is a way to ensure Kyiv's political dependence on Moscow, Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko has said.
The president was speaking the Inter TV channel on Sunday night, while commenting on the talks between Ukrainian Premier Yulia Tymoshenko and Russian Premier Vladimir Putin, during which the Russian PM said Russia would not fine Ukraine for under-consumption of Russian gas.
"What guarantees can there be if it is written in black and white, that the buyer is to pay 150% of the gas price for under-consumption of the Russian gas during the heating season, and 300% at other times? The fines we should have paid in line with the agreement signed by the government, for buying less gas than planned in the seven months, have already been estimated at UAH 41.7 billion," Yuschenko said.
"We have paid less for the gas we have consumed over the seven months," the president said.
It is unlikely that Russia will be negotiating any changes to this agreement, the Ukrainian president said.
