Russia offered Ukraine to extend the existing gas transit contract to Europe for a year. This was stated by Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak. He stressed that we are talking about the extension of the contract under current conditions.
“We will wait for the tripartite consultations to begin, when a new government (Ukrainian - RT ) will be elected and the counterparties will appear. In general, we are in favor of Ukraine buying gas directly. We offered our colleagues to extend the existing contract under the existing conditions, ”he said.
At the moment, Ukraine does not buy gas from Russia, but part of the supply of blue fuel to the country is reverse - European companies resell Russian gas to Kiev at an inflated price.
Novak added that adjustments related to the proposal should be discussed by commercial companies. Recall the current contract for the transit of gas expires in early 2020.
Earlier that Russia offers Ukraine to conclude a "short" contract, Reuters reported. The agency, citing four informed sources, argues that such a format is necessary to gain time to complete the construction of gas pipelines that bypass Ukraine.
However, in “Naftogaz” of Ukraine, commenting on the publication of Reuters, they reported that they had not received any such proposals. According to company representatives, this message is an informational stuffing.
“We don’t have any official information from the Russian side regarding the idea of a short contract. We understand that today's stuffing is probably a battle check, ”says Naftogaz Facebook.
It is worth noting that Russia has repeatedly noted the readiness to conclude a contract on the extension of gas transit through Ukraine, even after the commissioning of the Nord Stream - 2, which runs under the Baltic Sea. Moscow is ready to continue deliveries subject to the conclusion of a mutually beneficial agreement.
“We say that we are ready to extend the current contract for transit. And we say that this contract should be economically viable for the Russian side, ”said Gazprom’s head Alexei Miller at the end of July.
- © Maxim Shemetov / Reuters
"Ukraine is trying to give a political touch"
The problem in the negotiations on the supply and extension of gas transit is that Ukraine views these issues as political, said Vladimir Olenchenko, a senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at the IMEMO RAN.
“Ukraine is trying to give it a political tone and usually it is contrived and artificial. This is the underlying reason why there is no movement in the matter of concluding agreements on the gas issue. Actions are necessary from the Ukrainian side, ”he told RT.
Earlier, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev proposed to keep the current gas transit contract for a while. He made such an initiative during a meeting with the co-chairs of the Ukrainian party Opposition Platform - For Life, Yuriy Boyko and Viktor Medvedchuk on July 10.
“I think there are several options here, one of them is the simplest - it is the preservation of the validity of those contracts that exist for a while. The second option, which we have never denied, is a consortium option, ”said the head of government.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky also announced his intention to resolve the issue with the transit of Russian gas in September.
“As far as I know, it is planned to continue this conversation in December. But this is a question of Ukraine’s energy security, and my position, the position of our team, is that it is in September that we want to sit at the table and resolve this issue, ”he said on July 8.
And on July 18, readiness to continue transit was also announced in Naftogaz. The company's executive director, Yuri Vitrenko, in his Facebook wrote that the Ukrainian side supports the gas transit plan proposed by the European Union.
“Mr. Shevchovich, Vice-President of the European Commission, at the last trilateral meeting, proposed an option that corresponds to Europe’s understanding of economically reasonable transit conditions that can be put into practice. We agree with this option, ”he wrote.
So, according to him, we are talking about the operator agreement on the capacity of 90 billion cubic meters of gas annually and booking capacity of another 60 billion cubic meters on average for 10 years.
"Risk of system collapse"
However, there is a risk that Ukraine will lose its gas transmission system (GTS). In the European Federation of Energy Traders (EFET) on July 24, they stated that because of the high indebtedness of the operator of the GTS Ukrtransgaz there is a risk of stopping supplies, which will lead to the destruction of the system.
“If the money is not paid soon, it will lead to the suspension of commercial deliveries, resulting in the risk of a system collapse,” said EFET Secretary General Jan van Aken.
About the same risk and even an emergency situation in connection with these debts and problems with suppliers on June 14 and said in the "Ukrtransgaz".
Despite these risks, there’s no hope that, with Zelensky, the issue of transit will develop, political analyst Ivan Mezyuho believes.
“So far, one should not expect from Zelensky a significant difference in this course in matters of gas supply and transit to the EU,” he told RT. “Ukraine continues to act in the usual anti-Russian way.”
Zelensky promised Ukrainians changes in various spheres of life, including social, and this requires cooperation with Russia, Mezyuho stressed.
“Zelensky promised citizens a change, including on social policy. And for all this, Ukraine needs to return to cooperation with Russia. So Kiev could save money of its taxpayers, ”the political scientist stated.