Gazprom seeks settlement with Slovakia’s SPP

摘要

Russia’s state-controlled Gazprom is trying to head off a damages claim by Slovakian state-controlled gas distribu- tor SPP for losses suffered during the Ukrainian gas supply crisis last year. The Russian firm declines to com- ment officially on the conflict with SPP. But it will do its best to reach an amica- ble settlement before the legal process starts at the Paris arbitration court, insiders say. “If SPP wins, other firms will follow,” a company source says. Gazprom hopes to settle the conflict with SPP by April, when prime minister Vladimir Putin is due to visit Slovakia. SPP, unlike other European compa- nies, never previously publicly asked for compensation from Gazprom.