Regular bilateral negotiations at the corporate level between Russia and Ukraine on the issue of gas transit through Ukrainian territory to Europe took place on Friday in the Austrian capital. The current agreement expires on December 31, 2019.
The Russian side at the meeting was represented by the chairman of the board of Gazprom Alexey Miller, the Ukrainian side was represented by the head of NAK Naftogaz Andrey Kobolev and the executive director of the company Yuri Vitrenko. According to the press service of the Russian holding, issues of cooperation in the gas sector since 2020 were discussed.
“In Vienna, another round of bilateral Russian-Ukrainian gas talks took place. The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Board of PJSC Gazprom Alexey Miller, the leaders of NAK Naftogaz Ukrainy, LLC Operator of the gas transmission system of Ukraine and the National Commission that carries out state regulation in the fields of energy and utilities, ”the statement said.
Communication of top managers of corporations lasted more than five hours.
As Yury Vitrenko told Russian reporters, preliminary agreements were reached.
However, he later noted that in discussing the possible terms of the agreement, the Ukrainian side took "the most constructive position."
“We completed the meeting with Alexei Miller, agreed to continue to work out options for continuing transit. It’s too early to talk about the agreed option, but we are taking the most constructive position, ”Vitrenko wrote on Facebook.
He added that "active work continues."
Earlier in Kiev, December 13 was called the deadline for concluding a contract for the long-term reservation of transit capacities of the gas transmission system of Ukraine. In addition, Naftogaz announced its readiness to create a headquarters to inform people in the event of termination of fuel transit through Ukrainian territory from January 1, 2020.
“We are getting ready to work in difficult information conditions. We hope that the new operator of the Ukrainian GTS and Gazprom will sign the contract on time, and January will begin quietly. But if this does not happen, we must be ready to quickly and efficiently inform people about what is happening, ”the UNIAN agency quoted a Ukrainian company representative as saying.
Meanwhile, on the eve of the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky on the air of the Ukrainian television channel "1 + 1" announced the presence of a "very large percentage" of the fact that the transit agreement will be concluded before the end of the year. A similar point of view was expressed by the Ukrainian Minister of Energy Alexey Orzhel. According to him, we can say with confidence that Ukraine will have gas transit from the beginning of 2020, taking into account national interests.
Meanwhile, Moscow, being a “reliable supplier of energy resources to Europe for decades,” will make every effort to ensure that the continent is not left without gas. This was stated by RIA Novosti deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Alexander Pankin.
“Yes, we have a little time left, and there are certain positive signals. There are also restraining signals, ”the diplomat said.
- RIA News
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He also spoke about the risks for completing the construction of Nord Stream 2, taking into account the possible congressional approval of sanctions against the pipeline. According to him, the corresponding threats may "have an artificial, political nature."
“There are those who perceive the Nord Stream in a distorted form, as a political project, which it is not. This is a purely economic project. And if there will be an increase in sanction pressure - this is not good. But as the management of the company, the leadership of our country, says, we are aimed at ensuring that Nord Stream takes place, ”Pankin added.
In turn, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas urged the US Senate not to introduce restrictive measures against companies associated with the construction of the Russian gas pipeline. At the same time, the Eastern Committee of the German Economy (OAOEV) called the sanctions a blow to the sovereignty of the European Union and interference in the energy policy of the continent.
In addition, Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with representatives of German business circles on December 6, emphasized that Moscow did not intend to stop the transit of raw materials through Ukraine even after the completion of the Nord Stream 2 construction.
“Once again, I want to emphasize that this is a purely commercial project, the government does not actually take part in it. And so that there would be no interpretations, I talked about this many times, I want to say again: this does not mean at all that Russia intends to stop transit through the territory of Ukraine. The issue is not in the territory, the question is in economic feasibility, ”the head of state explained.