Russia proposes Ukraine resume direct gas supplies
(Baonghean.vn) - Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak also said that the European Commission (EC), Russia and Ukraine agreed to continue consultations on the gas issue within the next month.
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| The dispute over debt and gas prices between Russia and Ukraine has long disrupted gas deliveries to Europe. Photo: Flickr |
According to TASS news agency on September 20, Russia has proposed that Ukraine resume direct gas supplies that have been interrupted since November 2015. This is the information that Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told reporters after a trilateral meeting on gas with the European Union (EU) and Ukraine.
“We have discussed this issue. We have proposed to our colleagues and partners that we are ready to directly supply the gas that Ukraine currently imports from European countries. This could be effective and beneficial for our European partners in ensuring the functioning of the gas transport system and transit volumes,” he said.
“They (Ukrainians) are considering our proposal. They are considering both direct delivery and reverse shipment. It is important that they understand the volumes and the price conditions,” he said.
“We are not discussing specific volumes today, as we believe that we need to agree on the legal framework first. As for specific volumes, this is the subject of trade negotiations. They will depend on the volume of gas supplies directly to Ukrainian consumers,” Novak said.
The minister added that in case the European regulation is introduced into Ukrainian law, the determination of volumes will take place in accordance with this regulation, based on documents submitted by companies, including Gazprom.
Since 2009, two contracts have been in force between Russia’s Gazprom and Ukraine’s Naftogaz: one for gas supplies to Ukraine and the other for gas transit through Ukraine to Europe. Both contracts expire at the end of 2019.
In 2012, Naftogaz stopped receiving all the gas under the contract, and since November 2015, Kiev has stopped buying gas from Russia, instead buying gas from Europe. In return, Gazprom has stopped supplying the contracted gas volumes through Ukraine. In 2014, Gazprom and Naftogaz began litigation over both contracts.
