LONDON (Dow Jones)--Ukraine didn't open the taps of its pipelines Tuesday despite the renewal of the natural gas flow from Russia to Europe via the country, Ukraine's national gas company Naftogaz spokesman Valentin Zemlyansky told Dow Jones Newswires. He also said that the switching on of the gas by OAO Gazprom (GAZP.RS) Monday morning "technically incorrect" and "provocative."
He said that Russia's gas monopoly supply Tuesday morning was at 76 million cubic meters of gas a day level, which doesn't produce enough pressure to kick-start Ukraine's pipeline system, which hasn't received any gas from Russia for a week. Ηe also said Russia sent its gas to wrong entrance point at the border between the two countries.
"If the want us to ship this gas to the Balkans, they should have sent it to Pisarevka or Sokhranovka entrance points, not to Sudzha as they have done," he said. Ρussian gas is going to Ukraine through four entrance points at the two countries' border, where the international monitors are stationed. Gazprom said Tuesday that the Sudzha entrance is the one from which the Balkans are supplied, and that Ukraine should have had enough gas in its pipelines to deliver Gazprom's gas to Europe