A Ukrainian team heads to Moscow this week to discuss amendments to existing gas contracts. Its first task will be to formalize verbal promises from Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that Ukraine will be allowed to buy "as much gas as it consumes," without penalties for lower-than-contracted volumes. Ukraine plans to buy 33 Bcm this year and 25 Bcm-27 Bcm in 2010, compared to contracted volumes of 40 Bcm for 2009 and 52 Bcm for 2010 (IOD Sep.2,p4). Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Kiev had already injected 25.5 Bcm into storage, including 3.5 Bcm last month, and plans to stop at that.
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