MOSCOW: Ukraine will pay less for Russian gas in the first quarter compared with the last quarter due to a fall in the price of oil, Sergei Kupriyanov, spokesman for state-owned gas producer Gazprom, said on Tuesday.
It will pay $329 per 1,000 cubic metres of Russian gas this quarter, down from $378 in the fourth quarter.
Gazprom's contracts are linked to the price of crude oil, which has around halved since last June, with gas prices lagging oil prices by six to nine months.
Relations between the two countries are severely strained after nine months of conflict that has pitted Ukrainian government forces against Russian-backed separatists who have declared "people's republics" in eastern Ukraine.
After Russia cut supplies to Ukraine in mid-June, the European Commission helped negotiate a winter gas deal package which meant Kiev resumed buying Russian gas at $378 per 1,000 cubic metres in the fourth quarter.
That price included a discount of $100 per 1,000 cubic metres.
The agreement expires on April 1.
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