An agreement on gas debt between Ukraine and Russian energy company Gazprom may be finalized by the end of the week, a negotiator said Thursday. Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak met this week with European Energy Commissioner Gunther Oettinger and Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuri Prodan to discuss ongoing debt issues. A proposal brokered during this week’s meetings calls on Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz to pay $2 billion by Friday and another $500 million by June 7 to settle its outstanding debts. A source close to the negotiations told Russia’s state-run news agency RIA Novosti a deal is expected before the week’s end. “There will be no official information [about Ukraine’s decision] today,” the source said on condition of anonymity. “Possibly, [the announcement will be made] after a meeting on Friday.” The state news agency says Naftogaz owes about $4 billion to Gazprom, a figure disputed by […]