KIEV, March 26 – Naftogaz has predicted a reduction in the price of Russian natural gas in the second quarter, Naftogaz Deputy CEO Vadym Chuprun said.

"I think that that [the price] will be slightly lower than in the first quarter [about $416 per 1,000 cubic meters]," he said in Kiev on Monday.

Previously, Naftogaz Ukrayiny predicted that the average annual price of Russian gas would be $415.77 per 1,000 cubic meters this year - $416 in Q1, $418 in Q2 and Q3, and $413 in Q4.