KIEV, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine's state-run energy company Naftogaz welcomed the favorable ruling of the Stockholm arbitration court on Thursday over Ukraine's gas transit dispute with Russia.
"We are pleased that we won the arbitration on key issues. It is important for the Ukrainian people and the future of European gas markets," Andrey Kobolev, chairman of Naftogaz, told reporters.
According to the court ruling, Naftogaz was granted compensation of 4.63 billion U.S. dollars for the failure of Russia's gas giant Gazprom to supply the contracted volume of gas for transit via Ukraine, said Kobolev.
Taken into account Ukraine's over-2-billion-dollar arrears to Russia for gas deliveries, Naftogaz is counting on receiving about 2.56 billion dollars from Gazprom, he said.
Meanwhile, Gazprom has in a statement on Twitter expressed its disagreement with the court's decision, saying it would defend its rights by all available legal means.
"The news is positive for Naftogaz and moderately negative for Gazprom ... However, Gazprom has an opportunity to pay this sum right now from the accumulated funds," Sputnik quoted Dmitry Marinchenko, the Fitch Ratings head of natural resources and commodities, as saying.
"Meanwhile, Gazprom's debt burden will remain at a moderate level and the company will maintain its access to the international debt market, that is why (the court decision) is not likely to have an impact on the company's rating," Marinchenko added.
Ukraine and Russia have been embroiled in two separate legal disputes regarding the transit of gas and gas purchases since 2014.
