The Naftogaz company disclosed the details of a settlement agreement with Gazprom and spoke about the future lawsuits against the company in the Stockholm arbitration, the UNN agency reported.
From the statement of the press service of the Ukrainian company it follows that both organizations must inform the arbitration court of the settlement agreement and mutual recall of lawsuits before the end of the month.
Commenting on these circumstances, Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies of IMEMO RAS, expressed confidence that the parties would not derogate from the agreements reached before going to arbitration.
“In general, you can be sure of this, because not only relations between Russia and Ukraine are at stake, but also the authority of the current Ukrainian leadership, primarily the president,” the expert said in an interview with RT.
According to Olenchenko, Vladimir Zelensky so far only works on his authority and forms it.
“If there is any intention here to move away from the agreements, this will sow great doubts about Ukraine’s approach to the implementation of international agreements. There is this understanding, and for this reason all agreements must be fulfilled, ”Olenchenko believes.
Recall that the settlement of disputes became one of the grounds for concluding a new gas transit contract between Moscow and Kiev. On December 30, following the results of five days of negotiations, the parties agreed. Subsequently, this achievement was discussed by telephone between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine.
As follows from the message of the Kremlin, in the conversation between Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky, the importance of the “package” deal concluded on the eve was emphasized.
“The constructive nature of the talks was noted, the results of which create a favorable atmosphere for solving other bilateral problems,” the report said.
As part of the agreement, Gazprom guaranteed the pumping of 65 billion cubic meters of gas in the first year and 40 billion cubic meters in the next four years. President Zelensky estimated the proceeds from the new contract to the Ukrainian budget at $ 7 billion.
According to Olenchenko, the fact of an agreement is a big plus for Ukraine. The expert believes that this is a serious progress in normalizing relations between Moscow and Kiev.
“This is not a confrontation regime, in any case, which was generated by the previous Ukrainian president. This is a routine business relationship. Of course, while we are not talking about the fact that we are returning to the normal level of good neighborly relations. But we express the hope that Ukraine will fulfill its agreements, because the agreement reached is very important, ”Olenchenko concluded.
The Ukrainian political scientist and economist Alexander Dudchak agrees with the statement on the importance of the agreement reached. He noted that finding a common language between the parties is a good sign.
- Gas transmission system of Ukraine
- Reuters
- © Gleb Garanich
“This is not just an agreement on gas transit through the territory of Ukraine. This is an indicator that Russia and Ukraine can come to an agreement in difficult times. A start has been given. Everything is won, ”the expert believes.
Gas transit volumes
Gas transit in accordance with the new agreement started on January 1, 2020. The operator of the Ukrainian GTS (OGTSU) then reported that the first night of the system’s operation was normal.
Later it became known that at the beginning of 2020, the volume of transit of Russian gas decreased by more than five times compared to December 2019. In December, the average transit volume was about 261 million cubic meters. On January 1, 2020, a similar indicator reached 49.3 million cubic meters, on January 2, 38.7 million cubic meters.
The operator of the Ukrainian gas transportation system indicated that in spite of this circumstance, companies pay the full daily allowance based on the amount of 65 billion cubic meters reserved for 2020.
“This confirms the obvious advantages of the“ download or pay ”principle, which was previously introduced into the Ukrainian energy legislation in accordance with European standards,” the OGTSU said in a statement.
According to Dudchak, the current situation with gas transit and the payment by the Russian side of the reserved capacity indicates that Moscow is a reliable partner that fulfills its promises.
“Russia does not fail and this is a demonstration of the fact that we are a reliable partner whom you can trust in any situation. Europe sees it too. In this situation, everything is clear and transparent, ”the expert concluded.