European Commission proposes signing of Ukraine-Russia gas transit contract for next 10 years

"We need to settle the issue of gas supplies not for the next winter only. As you know, the key priority of the European Union is to ensure a long-term transit through Ukraine for the next 10 years at least. It is our priority and we are open in this matter. We discussed this issue during our last trilateral meeting, so we will try to convene a similar meeting as quickly as possible, after the presidential elections in Ukraine," Vice-President of the European Commission for the Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič said at a press conference in Brussels, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

He noted that the European Commission had already discussed a possible arrangement of such a meeting with both parties, but had not received feedback yet, obviously due to the continuation of the presidential election campaign in Ukraine.

"When we last met in January, we agreed that we would try to meet again in the middle of May. So far, as I understand because of the reasons connected with the election campaign in Ukraine, we have not received replies from the parties. But I can assure you that we will do everything that depends on us to have a trilateral meeting before the beginning of the summer. We need to understand that winter is ahead and it will come soon," Šefčovič said.

As reported, the trilateral negotiations on the continuation of gas transit via the territory of Ukraine after 2019 were held in Brussels on January 21.

The current gas transit contract between the Naftogaz of Ukraine and Russia’s Gazprom is valid until the end of 2019.

ol