EU proposes deal to ensure Ukraine gas supplies
BERLIN — Ukraine would repay $3.1 billion in debts to Russia in exchange for guaranteed gas deliveries through the harsh winter months under a proposal unveiled Friday after talks brokered by the European Union.
The proposed deal, which would expire next spring, is aimed at averting a supply crisis in Ukraine and the EU over the winter but wouldn’t resolve a deeper dispute over what price Kyiv should pay for past and future deliveries. An arbitration court in Stockholm is expected to rule only next year on that.
“Today, we worked out a sound draft for a winter package, and I am confident that this draft can win the approval of all those involved in Moscow and Kyiv,” EU Energy Commissioner Guenther Oettinger said.
He said there is a good chance of the deal being signed next week, when he plans to get the two countries’ energy ministers and top gas executives back together in Berlin. Those officials will now consult with governments in Kyiv and Moscow.
Ukraine needs deliveries to resume if it is to keep its industries running through the winter. Meanwhile, much of the Russian gas supplied to EU countries passes through pipelines that cross Ukraine.
See Saturday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for more on this story.