Russia to consider Ukraine's proposal for gas package extension

Russia will consider Ukraine's proposal for extending its deal with Russia for gas supply from the country for a year, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian state gas company Naftogaz proposed to extend the so-called "winter package" of gas supply deal with Russian gas giant Gazprom until April 1, 2016, namely the end of the next autumn-winter period.

"In this case, we're talking about Gazprom and the (Russian) Energy Ministry. The Russian side will formulate its position," Peskov was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.

The proposal was initiated by the European Commission, which planned to hold a trilateral meeting over the proposal with the Ukrainian and Russian sides in Brussels in mid-April, according to the TASS news agency.

Earlier this month, Ukraine announced a decision to suspend natural gas imports from Russia starting from April 1, and by then it will temporarily replace gas imported from Russia with cheaper fuel purchased on the European spot market.

However, Kiev also voiced its hope that in mid-April Kiev and Moscow will reach a new gas deal, which would cover Russian gas supplies to Ukraine until the summer of 2016.

Currently, Ukraine is importing gas from Russia under the "winter package" reached between the two sides last October, which expires on March 31.

According to Ukraine's State Statistics Service, Kiev paid 335 U.S. dollars per 1,000 cubic meters of gas it imported from Russia in January 2015, while the price for gas it purchased in other parts of Europe was 322 dollars per 1,000 cubic meters. Endi