Medvedev signs discount on Russian gas supplied to Ukraine

MOSCOW - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed a decree to apply a discount of $100 on export tariffs depending on the price of the gas.

According to the decree, a discount of $100 will apply if the price for 1,000 cubic meters of gas stands at $333.3 and more, otherwise the discount will form 30 percent of the price.

"The signed decree prescribes, from Nov 1, 2014, to March 31, 2015, a special procedure for calculating the export tariff rates depending on the contract price for natural gas delivered from the territory of the Russian Federation to the territory of Ukraine," RIA Novosti news agency quoted the decree as saying.

Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said later that the company is ready to start supply gas to Ukraine if Ukrainian state-run energy firm Naftogaz fulfills its commitments according to the protocol signed in Brussels on Thursday.

According to the 4.6-billion-US-dollar pact, Ukraine will receive gas from Russia starting from November 2014 through the end of March 2015 on the prepayment basis.

Kiev will pay Moscow its 3.1-billion-dollar gas debt in two tranches by the end of the current year to resume gas deliveries.

The price of Russian gas for the "winter package" will be established in accordance with the existing contract, taking into account the discount of 100 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk on Friday instructed the country's finance ministry, the national bank and Naftogaz to start paying for Russian gas deliveries.