Ukraine’s energy minister has said Kyiv expects Russia to resume supplies of gas from December 8.
Volodymyr Demchyshyn made the announcement on television late on December 7, after Kyiv transferred a prepayment of $378 million to state-controlled Russian gas company Gazprom for gas shipments in December.
Gazprom says the transfer was made at 2 a.m. local time on December 6, paving the way for the first shipments since Moscow cut supplies in June in a dispute over prices and debts.
Russia wants Ukraine to pay for gas in advance.
According to the terms of a deal signed in October by Ukraine’s Naftogaz and Gazprom, gas should flow from Russia to Ukraine within 48 hours from when the Russian firm receives the transfer.
Cash-strapped Kyiv had delayed buying new supplies, but increasingly cold weather has forced it to draw down on severely depleted reserves.
