21.02.03

Ukraine may receive 18 mln tonnes of Russian oil in 2003

Ukraine may receive 18 million tonnes of Russian oil in 2003, Bogdan Klyuk, deputy state secretary at the Ukrainian Fuel and Energy Ministry, said at a press conference on Thursday.

He said that this volume was set down in a protocol for supplies this year that is being prepared for signing.

Klyuk noted that Russia and Ukraine plan to sign a long-term agreement to transit Russian oil through Ukraine, in March 2003, in addition to a protocol between the Russian and Ukrainian energy ministries for 2003.

"We plan to sign an agreement for 15 years on condition that a protocol is signed every year, to set down the volume," he said.

However, he did not say whether all of the 18 million tonnes would be supplied for refining at oil refineries. "We are providing our transit capacities, Russia is reserving oil for us, and companies will decide later how much they will be able to refine," Klyuk said.

As reported earlier, in 2002 Ukraine received 16.536 million tonnes of Russian oil, up 70% from 2001.