Russia Extends Deadline For Ukraine To Reach Gas Deal
On Tuesday, eight hours of negotiations in Brussels failed to overcome differences over pricing, but Moscow agreed not to cut off gas to Kyiv just yet, with further talks scheduled.
According to Reuters, Russia had previously given Ukraine until 0600 GMT on Tuesday to pay back some billions of dollars it owed.
The EU’s energy chief Günther Oettinger will meet Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and his Ukrainian counterpart Yury Prodan today, the European Commission said.
Oettinger expressed hope that an agreement could be found in the next days.
On Tuesday, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak added that he had proposed “a very constructive plan, which we believe all stakeholders could and should accept”.
The EU has been acting as a go-between in the talks between Kyiv and Moscow in the dispute, anxious to avert a situation that would cause Russia turn off the gas taps to Ukraine. The former Soviet republic is the main transit route for Russian gas imports to the 28-country bloc, which received 39 percent of its gas supply from Gazprom last year.
Related: Russia Set To Cut Off Ukraine’s Gas Supply Next Month
Related: Russia Raises Gas Price For Ukraine, Demanding $11 Billion In Back Payments
The dispute centres around a discount, which Russia had given the past pro-Moscow regime in Kyiv.
Open all references in tabs: [1 – 5]