Putin Agrees To Extend Ukraine Gas Price For Three Months

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (file photo)

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he supports a proposal to extend the current natural gas deal with Ukraine by three months.

Putin said in a meeting with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on March 31 that he agrees with Medvedev's suggestion to prolong the agreement, which was due to expire on April 1.

Medvedev said at the meeting at the presidential residence outside of Moscow that a reduced price of $365 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas for Ukraine was dependent on Kyiv prepaying for the gas and paying all debts.

The price cut for the first quarter of 2015 was agreed to in October in talks led by the EU.

Medvedev said a request for the extension originally came from the Ukrainian gas company Naftogaz.

Putin said the Kremlin "will take a look after three months and see what is happening" on world markets before deciding on the gas price for Ukraine after June 30.

Based on reporting by AFP, TASS, and Interfax