OREANDA-NEWS. July 08, 2015. Ukraine and the EU have a joint position – the signing of a comprehensive agreement between the EU, Ukraine and Russia, which should include a tripartite protocol and addendum to the existing contract between Naftogaz and Gazprom - in the same format in which it was signed last year. Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk at a board meeting of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine, on Tuesday, July 7.

"The Government of Ukraine and the President absolutely accept the approach proposed in Brussels. This year, we insist on the same scheme," he stressed.

"Russia is endeavouring, as always, to blackmail us. We bought last year according to market price and this year we will purchase at market price. We aren’t going to subsidize Russian Gazprom, as well as prevent Russian Gazprom from using its monopoly position," the Prime Minister pointed out.

He recalled that the Antitrust Committee of Ukraine has launched an investigation as to the monopoly position of Russian Gazprom on the Ukrainian market: "Jointly with our European partners, who are also conducting antitrust investigation against Russian Gazprom, we will bring this investigation to the end."

"We share the same position with the European Union - the signing of a tripartite protocol and addendum to the agreement in the same format in which it was signed last year. We endured the winter and provided the EU with gas transit in full. We once again want to emphasize that we guarantee gas transit, ensure energy security and to make these guarantees operate, we need a tripartite protocol and bilateral agreement," Arseniy Yatsenyuk highlighted.

The Prime Minister also noted the activity of the National Joint Stock Company Naftogaz Ukrainy and its CEO Andrii Kobolev, who is carrying out real and effective reforms in the company.

NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy has actually seen a decrease in subsidies by more than five times just for a year: "If in 2014 we had to allocate \\$10 billion to pay off debts, which we didn’t incurred, this year we are looking forward to a maximum amount of two billion U.S. dollars."

However, according to him, the situation in the company is still extremely difficult, "That’s why the government decision to issue \\$1 billion of guarantees in order to pump up gas in storage facilities and endure the autumn-winter period has to be implemented."

Arsenit Yatsenyuk reminded that NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy conducted negotiations aimed at obtaining appropriate financing: "I publicly call on our European and American partners. We together endured the winter period last year. So, we must do the same this year."