Ukraine's energy minister calls Russia's gas offer unacceptable -Interfax

Russia's offer to extend a current gas deal or sign a new one-year contract is unacceptable, Interfax quoted Ukraine's energy minister Oleksiy Orzhel as saying late on Monday.

"The proposal that has been received is unacceptable for Ukraine, given the fact that we need to abandon arbitration's decisions and sign an agreement for only one year," he said to Ukrainian ICTV channel, according to Interfax.

Russian gas giant Gazprom said earlier on Monday it had sent a formal letter to Ukraine proposing either to extend a current gas deal or sign a new one-year agreement and to drop legal claims and counter-claims by both Ukraine and Russia as a pre-condition for the deal.