Extra: US energy aid for Ukraine
The 1 billion dollars in energy aid the United States is offering Ukraine is in the form of loan guarantees to protect the most vulnerable Ukrainians from lower energy subsidies, the White House says.
The announcement was made after the Russian gas monopoly, Gazprom, said is raising prices for Ukraine at the start of next month and demanded Ukraine pay its gas debts.
The country could not pay its February bill and is in debt to Gazprom to the tune of 1.53 billion dollars, the head of the company, Alexei Miller, said in Moscow, according to the Interfax news agency.
He said that if Ukraine does not make its energy payments, Gazprom would revoke its 30-per-cent rebate, which would make its gas bill 400 dollars per 1,000 cubic metres at the beginning of April instead of the current 268.5 dollars.
- Sapa-