According to the Gazprom website, during the negotiations, the parties discussed the organization of Russian gas supplies to non-CIS countries from January 1, 2020.
Currently, Ukraine is working on the implementation of the EU Third Energy Package into its legislation. Kiev needs to ensure “independence of the national regulator in the energy sector”, as well as create a “certified independent gas transportation operator”.
“It was noted that a high-quality operator’s certification and licensing process requires careful preparation and takes a long time,” a Gazprom press release said.
The company emphasized that if licensing and verification work were not completed by January 1, 2020, then the only option for cooperation for the transition period would be to extend the existing gas transit agreement, adapted to current market conditions.
Earlier, the head of the Naftogaz company Andrei Kobolev said that he saw no reason in extending the gas contract with the Russian Gazprom on existing conditions.