Ukraine-Russia interconnector agreement could be negotiated today

The agreement on interconnector between GTS Operator of Ukraine LLC and Russia’s Gazprom, which is one of the two contracts necessary for transit extension, could be negotiated today.

“Serhiy Makohon has left for Vienna because we need to work very actively on all technical issues of settling interconnection agreement between Gazprom as the operator of Russian gas transmission system and the GTS Operator of Ukraine,” Executive Director of Naftogaz of Ukraine Yuriy Vitrenko said at a briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Vitrenko expressed his hope that the agreement could be negotiated today as it is crucial for having the transit technically from January 1.

As reported, Energy and Environmental Protection Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Orzhel and Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said after the 5th round of gas transit in Berlin on December 19 that a final protocol had been elaborated which brought the parties closer to signing the final agreements.

During the talks in Minsk on December 20, the representatives of the European Commission, Ukraine and the Russian Federation reached the final agreement on the transit of Russian gas through the territory of Ukraine to European consumers.

The current gas transit contract between Naftogaz and Gazprom expires on December 31, 2019.

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