Kiev doesn't owe Russia for Timoshenko's corporation - view.

KIEV, June 21 (Itar-Tass) - The Ukrainian side does not have financial
obligations for the Russian Federation related to debts of the United
Energy Systems, the country's former Prime Minister Julia Timoshenko,
founder of the company, said on Wednesday.
"Having studied legislation of Ukraine and Russia it is clear that no
debt may remain for 15 years," she said. "The amount claimed has never
existed."
She said that back in 1996 Ukraine's President Leonid Kuchma and
Chairman of the State Taxation Administration Nikolai Azarov confiscated
all assets of the United Energy Systems of Ukraine in order to block a
chance to have timely settlements with Russia.
"It was a political operation, but Ukraine does not have any debts
under any agreements of private entities," Timoshenko said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ukraine's Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov said that
Ukraine will not pay for the debts of Julia Timoshenko.
Reporters asked him if Ukraine will pay for the debts of the United
Energy Systems of Ukraine to Russia's Defence Ministry. Azarov redirected
the question to doctors of the National cancer institute, with who he had
a meeting.
"Let's ask doctors: shall we pay for Timoshenko's debts? Doctors
replied in chorus - No. They have replied for me," Azarov said.
On Monday, Ukraine's government confirmed it received a letter from
Russia's Defence Ministry on recovery of debts from the United Energy
Systems of Ukraine corporation, Ukraine's press secretary of prime
minister Vitaly Lukyanenko told Itar-Tass.
"The letter from Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov is received," he
said. "Prime minister issued orders to Ukraine's ministries involved to
consider it and then an answer will be made."
The Russian minister's letter claims that the unpaid debt of the
United Energy Systems of Ukraine to Russia's defence ministry for the
period between 1996 through to 1997 is 405.5 million dollars. The
corporation, which was a major importer of gas into Ukraine from Russia
and Central Asia, was managed in 1995-1997 by Julia Timoshenko. Head of
the Verkhovna Rada's investigation committee Inna Bogoslovskaya said
earlier that "Timoshenko's private companies, which belonged to her and
her family, still have overdue debts to Russia's defence ministry of over
400 million dollars."
The commission early report on investigation of the 2009 gas contracts
between Naftogaz and Gazprom says that Timoshenko "out of personal
interests agreed with the price of 450 dollars per a thousand cubic metres
of Russia's gas."
Earlier, Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov expressed view that Timoshenko
back in 2009 signed the unprofitable gas contract with Russia in exchange
to forgiveness of the 405 million dollars' debt the United Energy Systems
of Ukraine had. The corporation ceased its existence back in 2009.