«The payment did not require borrowing from Russia, which shows Naftogaz of Ukraine has sufficient funds to make routine payments," Gazprom said in its statement.
Under the current contract, each month's payment is due by the seventh day of the following month. Should Ukraine fail to pay on time, the contract stipulates a switch to advance payments.
Bohdan Sokolovskiy, the Ukrainian president's envoy for energy security, said on Tuesday that Naftogaz is ready to meet its gas supply and gas transit obligations this winter even though its financial position is disastrous.
He said Ukraine had pumped about 26 billion cubic meters of natural gas into its underground gas storage facilities by today to ensure uninterrupted gas supplies and gas transit to Europe in the upcoming winter season.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko earlier said that 25.5 billion cubic meters were sufficient for the ex-Soviet republic to live normally through the winter period and ensure uninterrupted gas supplies and transit to European consumers.
